My True Love Gave To Me
by emilyjasmine
Summary: All it took was one drunken night to start Emma on her new adventure. When old foes become friends and the ones she loves turn on her, Emma ends up in Wonderland with her new family. However, when she receives a message stating that Henry and Regina are in danger, Emma does what she does best. It's time to break another curse with the help of the unexpected along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_My True Love Gave to Me;_

_An Emma Swan and Regina Mills fanfic;_

_By emilyjasmine;_

_Disclaimer – I own nothing but the plot;_

_Happy Easter everyone! I am back with another story, inspired again by the lovely Als, WriteupmyAlly! So a massive thank you to her for the idea and to you, my wonderful readers, for always wanting more. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we've enjoyed creating it! As always, let me know what you think and what you guess might happen. _

_I'm going to add a small trigger warning for domestic abuse which will feature sparingly throughout the story. _

_Now with that said, onto the story!_

Many years ago, Storybrooke, Maine…

The first thing that Emma Swan was aware of feeling was that she had never felt so satisfied or so comfortable before. As soon as the thought had flashed through her mind, Emma's green eyes snapped open and she shot up in the bed. Despite the headrush and the pounding drumbeat in her ears proving she had a terrible headache, it didn't take her long to realise where she was, even when she had never stepped foot in that room before.

There was absolutely no mess, aside from a trail of clothing leading from the door that stopped at the foot of the bed. The interior was similar to the design of the mayor's office, aside from hints of pale grey and purple weaved into the black and white. The bedlinen was silk, the pillows were downy, and the mattress was most definitely memory foam. All of that led to one conclusion and when Emma turned to the side, the slender body beside her confirmed it all.

She was in Regina Mills' bed, the morning after they'd slept together.

Unable to help it, she emitted a quiet groan, resting her head into her hands. Regina and Snow had persuaded her to have a girls' night, to get her mind off of Hook's disappearance and have a few drinks. Which, judging by the state of her head, she had indulged in, perhaps a little too well. She could barely recall what had happened. Concentrating hard, she tried to remember how she ended up where she was.

With a sigh, it all came rushing back. After Snow tried to start a fight with the Vikings, Emma had called David to pick the drunk woman up and Emma and Regina stayed for another round of drinks. They started talking about Henry and how much he had changed, before they started discussing how their relationship had shifted from when the blonde had first come to Storybrooke until now where they were willing having a drink together. Before long, Emma was admitting that she crushed on the indomitable Mayor Mills when they had first met and enjoyed their spars because she loved riling her up and seeing her passion flash through those dark, chocolate brown eyes. When the barman called for the final round, Regina suggested going back to her place for another drink and one thing led to another to the point where Emma was now.

However, in her sudden panic, it didn't take long for Emma's old instinct between fight or flight to kick in and as quickly as she could, she rushed out of bed, slipped her clothes back on and headed to the door. She'd just made it to the hallway before she turned back to see Regina shift in her bed and sigh peacefully as she reached out to the empty space beside her. As the mayor realised it was empty, she frowned and her eyes started to flutter open. Not wanting to see Regina's reaction, irrespective of if it was positive or negative, Emma ran down the stairs, out of the front door and into the night, not knowing how big of a night it had been.

Present day, Unknown…

Emma looked out into the garden of her house, watching as the leaves fell from the tree, swirling around in the light breeze before they gently floated to the ground. Some were left alone after they'd fallen, but others were being kicked about by a small girl, seven years of age. She was tall and slim for her age, with long, thick, golden curls. When she turned around and smiled in Emma's direction, Emma saw the girl's chocolate brown eyes flash with excitement and her pale thin lips grew to a beaming smile as she waved happily before turning back to the pile of leaves, enjoying the sound they made as she crunched them under her emerald green wellington boots.

"I'm happy to see she's still enjoying herself despite Robyn no longer being here," said a quiet voice from behind the blonde.

Emma turned slowly to turn her gaze with that of the new arrival. Before she even saw the person, she was greeted with a steaming mug of tea which she took gratefully, murmuring her thanks as she rested it on the window ledge before her. She took a moment to appreciate the irony there, after all, fairy tale lore had Snow White's mother wishing at a window for a daughter, although Emma's ledge was not the ebony in the tale, but instead a nice light brown.

Smiling softly and ridding herself of the strange thoughts of fairy tales from the Land Without Magic, Emma nodded. "Yeah, she's a sprightly one," she murmured as she took a sip from her mug. She allowed the sweet tea to take over her taste buds, humming contently at its perfection. Glancing up, she smiled at her companion. "It's perfect as always, Cora."

Cora grinned at the blonde before looking out at the child in the garden. "She's perfection," she sighed, her heart filling with love as she looked out the window.

Emma hummed in agreement as she sipped her tea. At that present moment, everything was peaceful, yes there were things, and people, missing from her life, and so much had changed over the last eight years, but at least she was currently at peace.

She thought back to the fateful night she'd spent with Regina. For days afterwards, the two had avoided each other like the plague, barely able to spend more than five minutes alone with each other before one made up an excuse to leave. It got a lot easier after Hook miraculously returned and Emma could retreat back into that relationship, but that was the direction she should never had taken.

Flashback, Storybrooke, Maine…

Shortly after the Pirate's return, the wedding was set and Emma was too busy trying to break yet another curse to worry about Regina at that moment as she needed to defeat the Black Fairy. Once that was out of the way, Emma couldn't worry about anything else as she felt like she'd been hit with the flu. She just could not stop throwing up. However, after a week of denial, she couldn't put it off any further and took a pregnancy test.

It was positive.

After that, she knew she couldn't avoid Regina any longer, she had to know the truth. However, before she could tell the mayor everything, Hook cornered her after finding the pregnancy test in the bin at home. Emma couldn't believe her stupidity at leaving it there, though she was frustrated to know that Hook was once more hiding at home instead of going to the Sheriff's station where he was supposed to be working. In a moment of panic, she confirmed his obvious presumption that he was the father despite the fact the dates didn't add up. Although, she wasn't fully sure that Hook was able to do the maths in the first place.

Before Emma could tell her family about the new arrival to be, Henry shared his own announcement. He wanted to go travelling between realms. He was now seventeen and decided it was time to go, having no aspirations to go to college. Emma had downright refused, wanting her son to go to college, but Regina knew she couldn't stop him.

According to the laws of the Enchanted Forest, one that had seemed to embed itself into the laws of Storybrooke, Henry was now legally an adult and couldn't be stopped. So, it was with a heavy heart that Regina and Emma bid their son goodbye, not knowing when they would see him again. Just before he stepped through the portal, Regina gave her son a small compact mirror so that he could get in contact with them in emergencies. The power of the small device between realms was too strong to use willy-nilly. Henry had promised that he would keep it to heart at all times.

About a month later, Emma knew it was time to finally share her news with Regina. Every single aspect of the truth. She rebuffed all of Regina's questions over dinner which caused even more confusion. Regina suggested they share a bottle of cider, Emma was about to refuse, but before she could Regina's small compact mirror, the exact replica of Emma's began to vibrate on the coffee table next to the decanter of cider.

"Henry!" The two had gasped in panic and before Emma knew it, Regina was retrieving one of her small stash of magic beans to save their son who had managed to get himself into danger.

The mayor hugged Emma tightly and kissed her cheek, trying to show all of her feelings in the simple gesture.

"I'm coming with you!" Emma had said adamantly.

"I'm not letting you jump realms when you have only just gotten married and your happily ever after!" Regina had snapped back. "Look after yourself!"

Before Emma could do anything, Regina had thrown the bean down and was rushing through the newly made portal. There was physically nothing stopping Emma from following the mayor through, but the fire in Regina's eyes when she said she wasn't letting Emma go with her wrapped around her heart, freezing her to her spot in Regina's sitting room.

She cares about me, Emma thought to herself, but she's gone. It was with heavy heart that she headed back home.

Just after she reached her second trimester, a little more than four weeks after Regina had gone, was when everything began to down spiral. The first big change was Hook. Now that Regina had gone, he was demanding that Emma was by his side at all times so that he could "keep an eye on her". It was as if he wanted to know who was saying "bless you" if she happened to have sneezed. Whenever they weren't together, her would make her retell every second of the time they'd been apart. It was exhausting.

At first, she hadn't really noticed it, she just thought he was taking an interest in her day. However, when she'd gone to have lunch with August, Hook appeared and joined them out of nowhere. Throughout the entire lunch, Hook had kept his hand on her thigh, gripping it a fraction too tightly to be entirely comfortable, but Emma didn't say a word. However, when they got home, the argument begun.

The pirate had been drinking, that was obvious, and was accusing Emma of wanting to sleep with August because she laughed at his joke. When Emma laughed, thinking her husband had really lost the plot, the pirate lashed out, smacking Emma around the face. In complete shock, Emma stepped back, the laughter long gone.

Within seconds, Hook rushed forward and got onto his knees in front of his pregnant wife and started apologising, crying hysterically, begging Emma to forgive him. Completely in shock, all Emma could do was nod slowly as Hook wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her small bump, promising over and over again that he was sorry and that he loved her.

The month that followed, Hook never touched Emma negatively, but she kept her distance from him, no longer allowing him to make love to her which only made his frustration grow. Again, he accused her of lying with another, but Emma swore that she hadn't, she just wasn't in the mood with the pregnancy. The pirate wasn't happy but accepted it.

The next hurdle to arrive in Storybrooke was a shock to everyone's system. She appeared in a tailored back suit and her auburn hair flowing to her shoulders, making it seem like she was on fire. Anyone who saw her fled as quickly as they could except for two women.

"Mother?"

"Cora?"

Zelena had persuaded Emma to enjoy the late Summer air as she took Robyn out for a walk. Since Regina had gone, the two had spent a lot of time together in her absence and had grown quite close.

"Zelena!" Cora had called and rushed over to her daughter, embracing her tightly.

"Mother?" Zelena repeated, completely baffled. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but…how?"

Cora bit her lip. "Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

Zelena nodded and looked to Emma, silently asking her to transport them to the farmhouse. The witch had settled Robyn into her crib for a nap before boiling the kettle and preparing some drinks. The three then sat around the dining table, each nursing a hot cup of tea.

"I don't understand," Zelena murmured. "Regina and I saw you walk to the light?"

Cora swallowed nervously. "I thought it was the light too," she murmured nervously. "It was in a way, but it wasn't too. Instead of moving on, I was met by Zeus and he tested me in ways I don't want to relive." Her eyes flashed with something which neither Emma nor Zelena knew, but understood that whatever had happened, was not to be repeated.

Zelena reached out and squeezed her mother's hand softly. "But now you're back? You're alive?"

"I am," Cora confirmed with a small smile. "Where's Regina?"

At that, Emma frowned. "Henry left a few months ago and got in some trouble so she went to help him," she murmured into her tea. "Neither have come back." She swallowed. "She contacted me shortly after helping him to say that she was staying, that she didn't really have a reason to stay in Storybrooke anymore and Henry needed her."

At that, Emma's eyes started to water, and Cora didn't need to hear any more, she already understood what was going on.

Without any further words, Cora had opened her arms and pulled the blonde into a hug. Despite the number of rather forced and uncomfortable hugs she'd had from Snow, they didn't compare to this. For the first time, Emma truly felt like she was being hugged by a mother and she allowed the tears to fall. Zelena soon joined in the hug, throwing her pride out of the window. How long the three stayed in their embrace, they didn't know. It was only when Robyn started to whimper that Zelena pulled back to see to her daughter.

The news that Cora Mills was back in Storybrooke spread like wildfire and the fact that Emma, the town Saviour, was apparently so okay with the fact that an evil sorceress was back threw the town for a loop. At the forefront was Snow. She was absolutely livid that the woman was allowed to be brought back to the land of the living when she was responsible for her mother's death, happily disregarding the fact that she herself had orchestrated Cora's death. The former princess tracked the Queen of Hearts down and demanded that she left before she killed her over again.

To Snow's utter surprise, Emma stepped between the two and told her mother that there was absolutely no need for that behaviour.

"If Zeus allowed Cora to come back then clearly it means something," Emma had snapped. "She's been here a week and has done absolutely nothing spiteful to anyone. In actual fact, she's been helping me. She has spells to help me sleep with the bump getting in the way and has a recipe for a herbal tea that keeps the sickness at bay and what did you say when I complained? Oh yeah, 'get a grip, woman'. Useful information there, as per usual, Mom!"

At that, Emma took hold of Cora's arm and transported them back to her house to get her away from the angry princess.

After that, everything just seemed to get worse between her and Snow. Every time they saw each other, they fought over Cora, who had recently started working in the town hall with Maleficent who had taken over Regina as Mayor (Emma noted that Zelena was a regular visitor and not to see her mother). Cora really wasn't doing anything that she wasn't meant to, but Snow was furious. Every time Snow said something against the former Queen of Hearts, Emma would stand up for her which only angered Snow further.

However, Snow was not the only person who was furious about Cora's return. As Emma was now spending a lot of her time with both Zelena and Cora, her time for Hook dwindled down even more. He still asked her about her day, wanting to know every single little detail that she did with Zelena and Cora, but now he would insist that she wasn't allowed to go. Whenever she ignored him, he would pounce on her when she was home, gripping her wrist tightly but not so that it would cause a mark.

He hadn't hit her since the fateful day a few months ago, but his anger and impatience hadn't faded. Whenever Cora had tried to ask Emma about her relationship, the blonde would either go silent or make an excuse to leave. It didn't take long for the auburn-haired woman to realise what was going on. She recognised the actions from when Regina had been with Leopold. Now that she had her heart, she understood how bad it was and knew she needed to do something about it, however, Emma begged her to not get involved.

When Emma hit her third trimester, she finally revealed to Cora her baby's true parentage. She had wanted to tell Zelena but still couldn't allow herself to do so, not yet. Besides, who else was better to tell than the baby's grandmother?

It hadn't shocked the older woman in the slightest. In fact, with the way that Emma spoke about Regina, she knew just how she felt about her daughter, even though Emma clearly didn't. At the revelation, Emma had simply burst into tears and allowed Cora to console her. It was then that Cora finally asked Emma about her relationship with Hook and the blonde revealed all.

"You need to leave," Cora said. "I'll come with you. You need to go somewhere safe. He won't be happy when the baby is born and he realises he's not their father."

"Her father," Emma corrected quietly.

"Her?" Cora repeated, her eyes shining happily. "I'm getting another granddaughter?"

Emma nodded and smiled shyly. Cora absolutely adored Robyn, the feeling was very mutual and Emma was happy to know that happiness was extended towards her baby.

"Yeah," the blonde murmured quietly before she sighed. "But I can't leave. He'll only come and find us and I need to be here if Regina returns." She reached out and squeezed Cora's hand. "I know you only want what's best for us, but I just can't."

Her statement was flipped upside down barely a week after the baby was born. Elena Coraline Swan was born at 9:02am on the 24th of December weighing 7lbs on the dot, in the middle of a harsh winter. Cora and Zelena were by Emma's side during the birth, Snow and Hook weren't even informed that Emma had gone into labour. It was only after the baby had been born when Zelena contacted them.

Immediately, Hook had stormed into the hospital, furious that he was the last to know. Snow followed after a few minutes, initially excited that her daughter had given birth, but when she clapped eyes onto Cora, her eyes narrowed. At that, she couldn't keep her fury in.

"It's her or me, Emma," Snow snapped, giving the ultimatum that Emma had expected much sooner than now.

Despite the sheer exhaustion that had taken over her body after Elena had been born, the answer was simple. From the moment she'd found out about the pregnancy, Cora had been by Emma's side no matter the request or the time. Snow, on the other hand, had barely given her five minutes of her time and when she had, she had actually been less than helpful.

"Cora," Emma said simply and Snow's rage erupted to the point that Whale had to drag her outside as she was making the baby cry.

Cora glanced at Emma with a small smile. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been surer," Emma admitted, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

Emma chose not to reveal Elena's surname at that moment, knowing Hook's fury would worsen but she couldn't call her Jones, not when she wasn't his. Besides, after being married for eight months, Emma was still officially Swan with no plan to change her name to Jones. Not to mention that Elena was to be a Swan, just as Henry a Mills.

Once Whale had given both Emma and Elena the all clear, they left the hospital and headed home with Hook. However, Cora didn't want to leave her granddaughter, nor Emma, alone with the pirate who smelt strongly of rum. Instead, she waved her hand subtly over Emma and Elena to alert her if they were in trouble.

Barely an hour after Emma had left the hospital, Cora felt her gut tighten, the sign that Emma was in trouble. She dropped what she was doing and transported to Emma's house, just in time to see Hook smack her across her face. At the force, Emma crumpled to the floor in front of Elena's bassinet, it was obvious that Emma was protecting her daughter from her husband.

In seconds, Cora blasted Hook away from the blonde so powerfully the hit to his head knocked him out. She dropped to where Emma had fallen and waved her hand over her bust lip, healing the wound before it could worsen before helping her up gently.

"We're leaving," she said, not leaving room for discussion. "I'll tell Zelena and ask if she wants to join us. Get Elena and a bag of clothes."

Emma nodded and did as instructed while Cora called her daughter. It had taken her a few weeks to get used to the mobile phone that Emma had bought her, but now she was a dab hand at it. Within ten minutes, Zelena walked through the front door with a one-year-old Robyn in her buggy and a packed bag.

"I'm ready if you are," she said instead of a greeting. Zelena loved Mal, but the mayor was aloof and cited Lily as her reason for not getting involved, Cora and Emma were family and Robyn adored them, the choice was easy.

Nervously, Emma swallowed and nodded. She glanced over to where Hook was still passed out, a small cut on his forehead that Cora refused to heal. "But before we go…" Emma murmured before she reached for her left hand and slipped her wedding ring off. "Just in case he doesn't get the point of my leaving, or the signed divorce papers in the sitting room." In spite of Emma's insistence of not leaving Hook, she had planned the divorce papers during her pregnancy as a contingency plan.

Cora reached out and squeezed Emma's arm supportively. "Let's go."

She threw a small magic bean forward and pulled her daughter, granddaughters and Emma through. Emma had barely stepped forward when Cora turned and grinned.

"Welcome, my dears, to Wonderland!"


	2. Chapter 2

The first few weeks in Wonderland took some getting used to. They'd taken refuge in Cora's old castle from her days as the Queen of Hearts which had remained untouched since her departure all those years ago. The rooms were rather dusty and covered in spiderwebs and the East Wing was rather derelict but that had already started crumbling when Cora left as she rarely frequented that area due to being the farthest away from her quarters.

When they first arrived, Cora wielded as many spells as she could muster to clean the castle as well as possible and as quickly as she could so that it was safe for the baby and the others. Once done, she all but collapsed into her bed to recuperate from the exhaustion and took a couple of days to return to full strength.

However, once she was better, she went in all guns blazing. She contacted some of her old staff and asked them to return to look after the upkeep of the castle and prepare the food which meant the others had more time to spend with each other and not have to concentrate on the mundane tasks. Cora knew that Emma had scars, it was inevitable, and with the return of her heart came the shame of understanding Regina's time with Leopold. As ashamed as the Queen of Hearts may have been of her actions, she was doubly determined to help Emma and her granddaughter heal.

Emma found the entire move completely overwhelming. She was somewhat divorced, at least she hoped she was if Hook knew what the divorce papers even meant, had moved to a completely different realm where she'd never visited before and now, she had a new born baby to look after. Sure, the pregnancy itself wasn't new as she'd done that before but then she'd given Henry away. It was actually raising the baby that scared her. She still had the fake memories that Regina had given her before New York, but they grew fainter and fainter every day. Although, part of her wished to forget them entirely as she didn't want to remember a fake life where she kept Henry because she didn't want to live in a fantasy. At that, she couldn't help but scoff to herself as she realised she was in Wonderland, the epitome of a fantasy world.

She couldn't be more grateful to have Cora and Zelena on hand when it came to the baby. Zelena offered her help when it came to breastfeeding her daughter as Cora wasn't familiar with it and Elena took to it beautifully. She filled Elena's little belly every time. However, Cora was there to show her how to swaddle her properly and tricks to get her to fall asleep easily.

At first, Emma was rather surprised at how involved Cora was with Elena, although Cora had been very invested in Robyn, who had just celebrated her second birthday; but within a few weeks Emma saw Cora's presence as a blessing.

On a quiet evening when Zelena had already retired to bed, Cora revealed to Emma that her hesitant approach to parenthood with Regina was all due to not having her heart. Without it, she felt a disconnect from her daughter and just allowed the nanny to take over. Although, as the tale unfolded, Emma could see that regret was written all over Cora's face as plain as day. However, with both Elena and Robyn, Cora was able to have a second chance at having a hands-on approach with her granddaughters.

It didn't take long for Zelena to figure out Elena's (or Lennie as Robyn had taken to calling her cousin due to being unable to say her name) true parentage.

One afternoon just after Elena had turned four weeks old, Cora was playing tea party with Robyn in the nursery, and Zelena was sitting with Emma while Elena was yawing in her mother's arms.

Elena's eyes fluttered open as she took in her auntie and Zelena gasped as she concentrated on her niece, though at that point she'd been calling the baby her niece due to her friendship with Emma.

"Hook isn't her father, is he?" Zelena had murmured as she reached out to stroke Elena's thin layer of hair.

Emma bit her lip nervously as she glanced up at the redhead. She shook her head. "I think you know who her other parent is," she replied just as quietly.

"I just don't see how it's possible," Zelena said as she took in Elena's chocolate brown eyes.

"Me neither," Emma sighed before she stared at her daughter whose eyes were fluttering shut as she finally allowed the tiredness to take over. "Although, I'm so glad that Hook isn't her father. I wouldn't wish his DNA upon anyone."

Zelena scoffed her agreement and took in the blonde beside her. "But surely you actually had to have, you know, sex for this to happen?" She asked, not beating around the bush with the bluntness of her question. Emma wasn't surprised, this was Zelena after all. She had little to no tact at all.

Immediately, Emma's face flushed pink with embarrassment. Slowly, she stood up and made her way across the room to put Elena in her bassinet. With another sigh, she looked at her friend as she returned to her seat.

"It was a drunken night when Hook was taken by whatever it was," Emma began, nervously playing with a strand of hair. "I still don't remember how it happened, or who kissed who first, but I could never regret it. Even knowing what I know now, with everything with Hook, I still can't regret it." She glanced over to the sleeping beauty across the room. "I don't know what I'd do without Lennie now." Robyn's nickname had caught on rather rapidly, which meant that Elena's full name was rarely used.

Zelena looked over to the baby who she now realised really was her niece and smiled softly. The revelation didn't change how she felt about her in the slightest but knowing that she actually was family, by blood too, filled her with an incredible amount of love. Keeping her gaze on the baby, Zelena tried to pose next her question as calmly as possible, not wanting to freak the blonde out beside her, but she felt like it needed to be asked.

"Do you love her?"

Emma was silent for so long, Zelena thought she'd left the room. If it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't felt the sofa shift and could still feel the heat radiating off the blonde, it could have been a possibility.

The witch turned to her friend and saw the solemn expression on her face. It told her everything she needed to know, but she didn't want to push anything. However, the blonde was saved from answering when Robyn ran in and threw herself onto her mother's lap with Cora following her granddaughter with a soft smile on her face.

Cora could feel the slight tension in the room. She knew there hadn't been an argument, but she could tell her daughters had been talking about something heavy and yes, Cora saw Emma as her daughter. She absolutely adored her.

"Everything alright in here?" Cora asked Emma quietly while Zelena was having her ear chewed off by her daughter, retelling every detail of her tea party with her grandmother, including when Grandma Cora started talk to a butterfly who she said was called Absolem.

Emma nodded but didn't go into any more detail. Like Zelena, Cora didn't want to push Emma, so she allowed her to continue her silence.

oOoOo

A few weeks later, Zelena and Robyn were exploring the castle gardens, searching for a rare flower that could apparently de-age someone. Cora was fully aware that she did not possess such a flower in her garden, but it kept Robyn busy. She had wanted to find a quiet moment with Emma after she'd walked into the sitting room after Robyn's tea party, but she hadn't had the chance.

Elena was napping her bassinet in the corner, swaddled in a blanket that Cora had knitted many years ago for Regina which had ended up in Wonderland with her. She had no idea how but was so grateful of it. With a quick cleaning spell, it was as good as new and Elena struggled to sleep without it. It seemed that the little girl knew that it belonged to her mother and took comfort from it, as did her blonde mother. It felt as though Regina was never far from her family, even if they had no clue as to where she currently was.

Cora had made Emma a cup of tea, perfect to her standards, strong enough, with the perfect hint of sweetness and the adequate amount of milk. She had it so specific that rarely anyone could get it right, but Cora hat nailed it within two tries.

"Thank you," Emma murmured as she took the mug out of Cora's hands. After a sip, she hummed in contentment. "Perfect as always."

Cora smiled as she took as seat beside the blonde, taking a sip of her own tea. Placing it down on the table in front of her, she placed her hands together on her lap and turned to Emma.

"Oh, that face doesn't look good," Emma said with a light chuckle as she too placed her mug onto the coffee table in front of her.

"What were you and Zelena talking about the other day?" Cora asked, not beating around the bush. Emma was learning that this was a trait Zelena had inherited from her mother, despite the fact that Cora hadn't raised her.

Emma sighed as she leant back on the sofa. She didn't need her to clarify the exact conversation as there wasn't another possible one to muddle it up with. "She realised who Lennie's other parent is," she replied. "I'm surprised she didn't see it sooner." She paused for a few moments as she took a few more sips of her tea, not wanting it to go cold. "That wasn't what got to me though. She asked me if I loved her."

"Elena?" Cora gasped, her hands flying to her face in shock.

At that, Emma couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. She rolled her eyes. "Of course not Elena. _Regina_."

Cora then chuckled. "Of course not Lennie," she laughed. "I was just messing with you." She paused for a moment before becoming sombre. "Do you? Love Regina that is?"

Emma bit her lip. "I don't know." She sighed again. "I'm concentrating more on the fact that both Regina and Lennie are missing out on knowing each other. I never even got to tell her that I was pregnant, let alone that it was with her child."

"I never told Regina's father that I was pregnant either," Cora confessed.

"What?" Emma gasped, her green eyes flying up to regard Cora in shock. "That doesn't make sense. Regina adored her father!"

"She adored Henry, but he wasn't her father," the Queen of Hearts revealed.

Before Emma could reply, Elena started to whimper in her bassinet and Emma recognised that cry. She was hungry. Despite the serious, and mind blowing, conversation currently going on, Emma couldn't ignore her daughter. She crossed the room and gently picked Lennie up before settling back on the sofa and rearranging herself so that her baby could latch on. Cora was so used to this sight that it didn't baffle her and she carried on with her story.

"Do you know how I managed to work my way up from the miller's daughter to the wife of a prince?" She asked.

Emma shook her head, being careful so as to assure that her movements didn't cause Elena to stop feeding.

Cora sighed and finished her tea before the story unfolded. She told Emma about sneaking into the party, getting tripped by Eva, who Emma recognised as her grandmother, and how she wanted to improve her situation. Emma couldn't blame her for lying about being able to turn straw to gold. She'd suffered at the hand of many abusive parents and wastes of space to know how desperate Cora would have been to get away from her own father. However, once she mentioned Rumple, Emma started to figure out where Cora was going.

"I signed the contract that I would give him our first child," Cora murmured quietly, "at that point, I still had my heart and it broke at just the idea of not having my child with me, whether it was a boy or a girl." She inhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a second. "The day I found out I was pregnant was the day I took out my heart and gave it to Rumple and told him I couldn't give him the child he wanted. I lied and he never knew, even now he has no idea. I married Henry and said Regina was his even though she didn't look like him, or Rumple really. She also doesn't really look like me," she chuckled quietly. "But my goodness is she beautiful regardless and Henry adored her. I think he knew she wasn't his, especially when she started using magic, but he never asked. He loved her regardless of all of that and he loved me, even when I was too harsh on her."

Emma reached out and squeezed Cora's knee. She shook her head free of the thoughts currently swirling through her mind, knowing Henry was just going to love how much more complicated his family tree just got, his adoptive mother was not only his step-great-grandmother but also his half-aunt. Instead she chose to address Cora, "she knew you loved her in the end," she said softly, "And if we see her again, she'll know it for sure."

"You want to see her again?" Cora asked, already knowing the answer.

"More than anything," Emma revealed and it was then that she knew the answer to both Cora and Zelena's question, but she didn't want to think of it in that moment. Instead, she changed the topic. "So, Rumple never knew?"

Cora shook her head. "I didn't want him to take her away, so I never told him. So, I know exactly what you're going through with your daughter not knowing her other parent but we will see Regina again one day. I can feel it."

At that, Emma smiled and wiped away a sneaky tear that had formed. Elena finished feeding and went back to sleep. Emma gazed at her daughter and still couldn't get over just how amazing she was. All that was missing was Regina.

oOoOo

The months passed by and Elena was growing up so quickly. Her first birthday was celebrated with her family. As Elena wasn't able to blow out the candle on her cake, Robyn happily took over and blew the candle out for her cousin. She was so excited that Emma waved her hand over the wick and relit it so that Robyn could blow it out once more, making the older blonde girl giggle.

The following day was the family's first proper Christmas together. With the kerfuffle of moving to Wonderland the previous year, the fact that their first day was Christmas Day had completely slipped their minds until a few days later. The adults had chuckled about afterwards and promised to make it up the following year, which they did. Cora allowed the staff to spend the holidays with their family and took over in the kitchen, cooking up the perfect Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Emma had never had such good food and was already looking forward for the next Christmas to come.

As Elena was getting older, Emma found that she needed a hobby besides just looking after her daughter. Cora offered to teach the blonde how to refine her magic. Sure, she had natural instincts and producing a flame was as easy as breathing now but Cora knew that Emma needed to expand her repertoire of spells. However, the only issue with that was the look of forlornness on Zelena's face whenever she saw them practising. She missed her magic so much, especially when Robyn started showing the signs just short of her fourth birthday.

As much as she could, Zelena tried to help her daughter school her magic and not explode or cause harm. She just couldn't demonstrate anything and it infuriated her having to rely on Emma for it. Not because it was Emma, but because she was unable to do it herself.

At the end of a busy day of magic training, Emma pulled Zelena to the side as she rested Lennie on her hip.

"We'll find a way for you to get your magic back," Emma assured the woman who was practically her sister.

Zelena smiled at the blonde before reaching out to gently cup Elena's face. She pulled a face to make the toddler giggle before she sighed. "I miss it, but I don't want to be dependent on it."

"You grew up with it," Emma shrugged as the two followed Robyn and Cora towards the castle from the garden where their lesson had taken place that day. "It's only natural. Hell, I'd give you mine if I could but," she blushed as she admitted, "I kinda enjoy having it now."

"It's something you get used to," Zelena murmured as they headed into the castle. "I just miss it."

When the witch pulled a face, this time frowning, Emma realised that she'd started thinking about something, well someone, else.

"I sure she misses you too," Emma said softly as they headed into the sitting room where Robyn was sitting in the corner colouring with one of the maids sitting by her. Cora was nowhere to be seen, which both Zelena and Emma raised their eyebrows at, but the maid simply shrugged as she didn't know the former Queen's whereabouts before leaving the room.

Zelena sighed as she kissed Robyn on her head before taking a seat beside Emma across the room. Once the two sat down, Lennie turned to her auntie and reached out, asking to be held. "Zeeee!" She called out with a giggle. The witch happily accepted her niece into her lap and stroked her hair. It was now a couple of inches long and a beautiful bright blonde.

"I don't know," Zelena sighed before bopping Lennie on the nose to make her giggle. There wasn't a better sound to her ears than Robyn or Lennie giggling. "It was never something serious to her. I was more invested in it than she was and she kept blaming her inability to commit on wanting to get to know Lily rather than her own reticence to open up. I'm pretty sure it was having Robyn that affected it," she glanced over to her daughter and couldn't help the grin that broke out on her lips as she saw Robyn concentrating so hard on her drawing that her tongue was sticking out. "When Mother called me to tell me you all were leaving, the choice was easy. Robyn, you, Lennie and Mother are more my family than Mal wanted to be, so I came with you."

Emma reached out and squeezed Zelena's hand softly. "You're my family too." She grinned before her brows furrowed in confusion. "Talking about family, where's that mother of yours?"

"I'm right here, dear," Cora announced brightly as she walked into the room. However, it was clear to see that she was anything but happy. There was something clearly worrying her.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked as she shifted to the side to allow Cora to sit beside her.

Instead of replying, Cora simply shook her head and reached forward to take Lennie out of Zelena's arms and cuddled her close, completely avoiding any attempt that Zelena and Emma made to try and get whatever was bothering the older woman out of her.

When a week had passed and Cora still hadn't spilled, Emma was starting to get irritated. She brought it up over breakfast, but Cora refused once more. Frustrated, Emma picked up her daughter and headed to the nursery where Zelena was hanging out with Robyn, both were colouring in.

"Can you look after Lennie for a bit?" Emma asked, her tone making it clear that she didn't want to talk about what was annoying her.

"Sure," Zelena agreed without hesitation and accepted her niece and sat her beside her. Lennie automatically reached out and started, well not exactly drawing, but swirling a crayon around the page, grinning happily. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," Emma said. "I'll see you soon."

After a swift kiss to both Lennie and Robyn's heads, she left the room and out of the castle. Instead of going around the gardens, she decided to stretch her legs properly and head out of the castle grounds altogether.

She'd barely been walking ten minutes when she saw a young woman, well woman was a bit of a stretch, the oldest she could be was eighteen. She was running at full pelt and Emma could hear the chase behind her.

Within seconds, there was the Red Knight chasing after the blonde, screaming, "Alice!" at the top of his voice. Despite the temptation to roll her eyes at the situation, her hero complex kicked in and she rushed after the two.

"Hey!" She cried and the Knight halted his horse harshly.

Alice also stopped and hid behind a nearby bush, trying to overhear what was going on.

"Who are you?" The Knight demanded.

"I could ask the same of you," Emma retorted. "Who I am is not important. Why are you chasing her?"

"She's after my crown!" The Knight revealed. "She's here with the Queen of Hearts."

"What?" Alice cried as she stepped forward from her hiding spot. "I'm just looking for something to save my Papa."

"Lies," he hissed before jumping off his horse and stepping towards the women.

Immediately, Emma had flashbacks of Hook stepping this close to her, with a similar fire in his eyes. Not wanting any repeat of the past, she reached out and cupped her hand, magically strangling the Knight. His eyes bulged open as he struggled to breathe.

"_I_ am the woman with the Queen, not Alice," Emma snapped before releasing her spell, letting him drop, rather ungracefully, to the floor. "And I am not after the crown!"

Then another voice joined them. Their voice was low and full of fury. "Get away from my daughter!"

"YOU!" The Knight bellowed, struggling to get to his feet. His eyes wide with fear. "You really are back!"

Cora smirked in delight at the man's sheer horrified expression. "You went after the wrong blonde," she sneered, proud of what Emma's power could do. Even after a year of training, she still couldn't get over the blonde's natural talent. Cora then took three very slow steps until she was right above the Knight. She produced a black fireball that was spitting green, laced with poison. "If you go near my family again, I'll do more than just banish you. You'll regret ever being born!"

The Knight swallowed before scrambling away. He threw himself onto his horse and rode away as fast as he could.

Once he was gone, Emma turned to Alice. "Are you alright?"

Alice nodded nervously. "Yeah, stuff like that always happens to me," she said sadly. "I'm just looking for my Papa, that's all."

Emma smiled softly as she reached out to squeeze the teen's arm. "We can try to help. What's his name?" She asked.

"Killian, Killian Jones," Alice replied and Emma forgot how to breathe.

_A/N: for this storyline, please ignore that the Evil Queen made out with Rumple to make Zelena jealous, thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

Emma swallowed as she tried to steady her breathing. The world was a little fuzzy and she found herself leaning to the side before she felt Cora's supportive arm wrap around her to help keep her grounded. With the physical reassurance from the woman who was practically her mother now, she was able to sort out her breathing.

Turning back to Alice, who looked rather apprehensive at what had just happened, Emma asked, "Killian Jones is your father? That can't be right. Who is your mother?"

Alice's eyebrows furrowed at the question. "I don't know who my mother is," she answered honestly with a sigh. "She left me in the tower and ran away and Papa went to find a way to get me out but then when he came back, his heart had been cursed and now we can't be near each other without him being in pain. I'm trying to find something to help him."

Despite Alice's explanation, it still wasn't making sense to Emma. "But Killian doesn't have a daughter, he would have told me," Emma murmured, her eyes flickering as she tried to remember this vital piece of information. "I was his wife for goodness' sake!"

At that, Alice's brows furrowed even further. "Who are you?" She asked, taking a step back from the blonde. "Papa has never been married!"

However, before Emma could explain, the earth started to shudder. Birds escaped from the trees that started to shake with the force gaining on them. Glancing around, Emma saw a monstrous beast approaching, something she'd never set eyes on before despite everything she had seen in the last ten years. It was black with scarlet eyes of fury. It had long, sharp talons on the end of its stick like fingers as well as on the edge of its wings. Four legs pounded heavily on the ground, causing the shaking and it was getting closer, using the claws on its wings to pull itself further forward.

"Alice, quick!" Emma commanded and Alice rushed forward and took hold of Emma's extended arm, Cora quickly reaching out to grasp the blonde's shoulder, before Emma flicked her wrist and transported the three to safety to the outskirts of the castle.

Alice stepped back from the two and took one look at the castle. She glanced back at Cora and her eyes winded as she realised who she was. "You're the Queen of Hearts!" She all but screamed. "I have to get out of here!"

Before Emma could ask any further questions, Alice took off running as fast as she could in the opposite direction to where the creature had been. Turning to Cora, Emma pulled her into a tight hug. "Jesus, that was scary!" She murmured into her hair as Cora was a lot shorter than the blonde. "What the hell was that?"

"A Jabberwocky," Cora said tightly. "Come inside for a drink. It's time I told you all about my time here."

Emma tilted her head in confusion, but Cora didn't divulge any further information. Instead, she led the two into the house and toward the nursery where she hoped Zelena was still with the girls. As they walked into the room, they saw Robyn chasing Lennie around the room with Zelena running after her daughter.

Chuckling, Emma stepped forward and intercepted her daughter and picked her up, nuzzling their noses together. "Now what is going on here?"

"Mama!" Lennie cheered happily as she snuggled into her mother. "Wobby chasey me."

Emma laughed. "I saw that. Why was she chasing you, monkey?"

Elena grinned. "I princess!"

"She was chasing you because you're a princess?" Emma asked, trying to understand. She looked up at Zelena who just shrugged.

"I have no idea what was going on," she revealed with a chuckle as she picked up her daughter and rested her on her hip. Though at four, Robyn was getting heavy to hold for long periods. "I've given up asking and have decided that it's best to just go with it." She then glanced over Emma's shoulder. "Where did mother go?"

Emma turned around and realised that Cora had left, but they didn't need to have worried. Not a minute later, Cora walked back in with her arm aloft, levitating a tray before her filled with drinks.

"Refreshments, my dears," she greeted happily and set the tray on the table.

Immediately, the girls wriggled to be let down before rushing over to the tray and picking up a beaker of juice each before going to the corner and started to draw at Robyn's suggestion. Emma and Zelena crossed the room and picked up their cups of tea which were easy to distinguish as Emma had hers rather creamy and Zelena took hers black before the three adults took a seat on the sofa in the room.

Emma didn't beat around the bush, taking a leaf out of her sister's book, before turning to the former Queen. "So, what were you going to tell me?"

Cora sighed but couldn't help the smile that her and Zelena's bluntness was rubbing off on the blonde. She reached forward and placed her now half empty cup on the table and looked to the others.

"When Regina first pushed me through the portal, I was found by an elderly lady called Mallymkun who took me in," Cora began, "I soon left her care and went to the palace and managed to, umm, well, take over the crown." Emma and Zelena both raised their eyebrows, silently asking for further explanation but Cora shook her head. "You don't need to know the how, my dears," she murmured quietly before taking a sip of her tea and clearing her throat. "During my reign, I had an adviser, the Red Knight, or Stayne as is his true name, but he was plotting against me to take my crown." Her eyes darkened. "So, he set my Jabberwocky free in a ploy that made the people believe it was me. The whole of Wonderland was a mess and it took all of my power to stop him and banish him to the Outlands. It seems he has returned in my absence and taken power, using my darling pet to do his dirty work once more."

"Why does he think Alice was after his title?" Emma asked. "He said she was with you and was after the crown?"

Cora bit her lip nervously. "One of the maids informed me that he'd caught wind of my return and believed that I was after the crown once more, which I'm not, but then apparently people have seen you, Em, and thought you were my long-lost daughter who was my heir and he thought that was Alice." She reached out and took hold of Emma's hand. "I didn't want to worry you, so I didn't tell you. You are safer here than you are in Storybrooke and I didn't want you to leave. It would kill me to lose you, either of you," she added as she reached to take hold of Zelena's hand. "You're my daughters and I love you."

At the term, Emma couldn't help but tear up and wrap her arms around Cora. "I love you too, Mom!" She pulled back as she realised what she'd called the woman after feeling her freeze at the term. "I mean, umm, Cora."

The older woman chuckled. "I've never been called 'Mom'," she murmured, wrapping her lips around the world. "I quite like it actually. It sounds a lot friendly than Mother. What do you say, Zee?"

Zelena raised her eyebrow. "Mom?" She repeated before tiling her head to the side. "I could get used to it I suppose." She laughed before becoming serious. "I do love you too, though. Regardless of what's happened in the past, I'm currently where I need to be. Robyn!" She called to her daughter who looked up at her name. "Come over here and bring Lennie with you."

A few moments later, the two blondes rushed over and jumped into their mothers' laps. Cora reached out to cup their faces softly. "After all of these years, I'd forgotten that the Jabberwocky was free. It seems my pet has forgotten me. I will see to him tomorrow before he can hurt our girls, don't you worry," she promised.

True to her word, Cora had gone out to meet the Jabberwocky the next day, Emma and Zelena were on tenterhooks while they waited for her to come back, both fearing the worst. However, just as the sun went down on the autumn evening, Cora entered the castle looking tired but not injured. She said the Jabberwocky had been subdued but didn't go into any further detail before she collapsed.

oOoOo

After the events with the Jabberwocky and the Red Knight, the drama seemed to die down for the next couple of years. Emma kept an eye out for Alice whenever she left the castle grounds but never came across her again. Either the girl didn't want to be found or she had moved on.

The next hurdle was shortly after Elena turned four. The family were having a snowball fight on New Year's Eve as there had been a snow storm that had prevented them from stepping outside since Christmas Eve. Now that it was safer, Cora had suggested they blew off some steam with a snowball fight. It was Cora and the girls against their mothers.

Cora was using the event as a magic lesson for Robyn, teaching her how to magically form a snowball and launch it at her mother, but she was struggling a little. Despite having her magic for two years, spells didn't come naturally to her. Making the snowballs with magic was rather easy but getting the momentum behind the throw was proving a challenge.

However, what surprised everyone was when Emma rushed out from behind a tree, ready to throw a small snowball at her daughter, a rather large snowball seemed to fly out of nowhere and hit Emma straight in the face. Once the snow cleared, Emma saw her daughter grinning, clearly proud of herself, before Lennie concentrated and waved her hands over the snow below her, forming several smaller snowballs.

"Lennie!" Emma gasped in shock as she saw just how powerful her daughter was before she was then pelted all over her body by her daughter's snowballs. The force of them making her lose her footing and fall.

"Mama!" Lennie cried as she rushed over. "I'm sorry!"

However, when Lennie reached her mother, Emma was laughing. "Look at you, my little sorceress!" She managed to stand up before picking her daughter up and spinning her around.

"Fraternising with the enemy!" Zelena called as she saw the two.

By this time, Robyn and Cora were making their way over, the game clearly paused for now.

"What's going on?" Robyn asked. "I thought we were fighting?"

"Lennie has magic!" Emma cheered as she glanced to Cora with a smile before looking back at her daughter. "Show Grandma what you just did."

Nervously, Elena nodded and waved her hand over the snow, producing the snowballs. She was just about to send them flying when Emma caught her hand.

"Maybe don't hit Grandma with them," she chuckled. "I'm sure she gets what I mean."

Elena giggled and sideway glanced at her mother before quickly flicking her wrist, sending one of the snowballs to hit Emma in the face, making everyone laugh.

Cora stepped over and took hold of Lennie's hand. "How did you know how to do that?"

"I listened to what you said to Robbie and tried it," she said simply. "It worked." She then glanced round to her cousin and aunt. "Does that mean I win?"

The adults laughed at her joke, but Robyn was silent. As the older cousin, she wanted to be better at magic, but it didn't seem to be the case. She frowned and looked at her mother. "Mom, I'm cold. Can I go inside?"

Zelena's brow furrowed. Robyn had been enjoying the fight up until then and couldn't figure out why she suddenly wanted to go inside, but she didn't want to upset her.

"Sure, honey," she said. "We'll get some cocoa ready for the others."

Robyn barely waited for her mother to finish speaking before she rushed inside.

Zelena turned to the others. "Did I miss something?" The redhead wasn't sure what was wrong, but something definitely was not right.

"I don't know," Emma murmured. She reached out and squeezed her sister's arm. "Let's go inside and warm up."

When the others made their way inside, Robyn was already sat in the sitting room with a hot cocoa, having already asked the kitchen staff to prepare one for her. The others joined her with their own cocoas before Cora put on the TV for a Christmas film.

A couple of years prior, Cora and Emma had managed to control their magic in a way to be able to access some modern technology and bring it into the castle. It had not been easy, but they managed to set up a TV and DVD player in the sitting room. Internet was their next challenge, but they hadn't managed to figure that one out yet.

The next day was the start to a new year, however, Robyn remained in her sour mood, which only worsened after Cora suggested Elena joined their magic lessons. No matter what spell Cora threw at Elena, she managed it within three tries whereas Robyn was still struggling with the basics.

It didn't take Emma long to realise what was stressing her niece out. Whenever Lennie did a trick, she wore the same face that Zelena sported whenever Emma used her magic.

As the snow finally melted, a few weeks into the New Year, Emma persuaded her niece to go for a walk around the gardens while Zelena was in the kitchen, having asked to be taught how to cook as magnificently as the chefs, and Cora was giving Elena more magic lessons.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Emma asked, trying to be causal.

"Nope," Robyn sassed. She was six going on thirteen sometimes with her attitude.

Emma raised her eyebrow at her niece. "You've been sulking since Lennie got her magic. So, what's going on?"

Finally, Robyn broke down and started to cry. "She's better than me!" She whined. "I've had magic way longer and she's better! I hate magic."

Slightly taken back at how upset Robyn had gotten quickly, Emma crouched down in front of her and pulled her close for a hug, allowing the girl to cry into her shoulder.

"It's okay," she soothed, rubbing Robyn's back. "It's okay." She pulled back and cupped her niece's face, thumbing away her tears. "I wasn't very good when I first started using magic, but now I'd say I'm pretty good." To prove her point, she flicked her wrist and a tissue appeared to wipe away Robyn's tears and runny nose. "It takes time for some people."

"But Lennie–"

"Has two magical mothers," Emma said, cutting Robyn off softly. "Plus, one set of grandparents have magic, very powerful magic. She has so much magic running through her body that she was always going to be a natural. You only have your mother and grandmother, there's a limit there. You're not bad though, you're getting better every day. I can see it."

At the compliment, Robyn finally smiled before sighing. "I don't want it," she mumbled before her eyes flashed, as if a lightbulb gone off in her head. "I could give it to Mom!"

"What?" Emma asked, completely baffled at the sudden swerve to the conversation.

"I can give Mom my magic!" Robyn cried. "I don't want it, but Mom does." Suddenly, the six-year-old was full of energy. She pulled back from Emma and sprinted back into the castle. "Mom!" She yelled. "Grandma!"

Emma stood up from being crouched down and stretched her legs before rushing after her niece. She found her standing in the sitting room with Cora, Elena and Zelena all sitting on the sofa in front of her.

"Mama!" Lennie called as she saw her mother walking in.

Grinning automatically as she always did when she saw her daughter, Emma crossed the room and picked her up before sitting where Lennie had just been and placing her daughter back on her lap.

"What's going on?" Zelena murmured to Emma as she sat down.

"Mom, I've had a brilliant idea!" Robyn cried, not allowing Emma to reply to Zelena's question, though she wasn't actually aware of the question. "I want you to have my magic!"

"What?" Zelena gasped.

"Why?" Cora asked, completely baffled at why anyone would willingly part with their magic. "Robbie, darling, it's part of who you are."

Robyn swallowed as she felt all the eyes in the room focussed on her. Even Lennie was staring at her cousin in confusion.

"I'm rubbish at it," she sighed. "I don't like it and I don't think I'll ever get better." She glanced at Lennie. "Len is so much better than me and she's only had it four weeks and I've had mine _forever_."

Ever the drama queen, Emma thought to herself, trying not to chuckle at her inner joke before she concentrated on the situation once more.

"It takes time to master it," Zelena murmured as she reached out and took hold of her daughter's hand. "It's your magic, my darling, I can't take that from you."

"You're not taking it," Robyn insisted. "I'm giving it to you." She looked at Cora who still looked completely confused. "Please, Grandma. Take it away and give it to Mom. She needs it and can actually use it. It's just being wasted with me."

For a while, Cora was silent. She felt everyone's eyes shift from Robyn to her but still she stayed quiet. She was lost in thought, trying to come up with a way to action her granddaughter's request. There was no point trying to change her mind as Robyn was a true Mills and once her mind was set, there was no changing it.

"I'll see what I can do," Cora said eventually and Robyn threw herself into her grandmother's arms.

"Thank you!"

oOoOo

It took a year of research before Cora finally found a book showing how to pass magic from one witch to another. However, it was clear that both participants needed to possess, or have possessed, magic for it to work, which worked in this case. She found an old amulet in her belongings, most likely something from Rumple from years before, which was perfect.

On a full moon in early spring, Cora cast the new curse. She had a now eight-year-old Robyn place her hand on the amulet in the light of the moon and whispered the spell. Within seconds, Robyn could feel her magic swirling around her body before rushing out her palm, pouring every last drop of it into the amulet.

Once it was finished, she wriggled her fingers. She tried one of the easier spells and it didn't work.

"Yes!" She cheered. "It's gone!"

With a muted smile, Cora turned to Zelena and asked her to place her hand over the amulet. Nervously, Zelena did as requested and Cora whispered the second spell. Robyn's magic then rushed out of the amulet and into her mother, surrounding her in a bright emerald green light.

After a full minute, the light faded and Zelena opened her eyes, a familiar light flickered behind them. She grinned. "It's back!"

oOoOo

With her magic reinstated, Zelena was in her element. She still asked for cooking lessons because they would come in handy, but now she could wave her hand over the vegetables instead of chopping them one by one.

Robyn was also thrilled with the pressure taken from her. Instead of having magic lessons, Emma suggested they started different sports to keep her active which she loved. Emma even proposed archery, thinking the girl would have some natural talent with having Robin Hood as her father.

She wasn't wrong.

The first arrow Robyn loosed, she hit the bullseye. The huge grin on her face said everything. "This is so much better than magic!" She cried happily.

A few days after her first archery lesson, Robyn headed into the armoury with one of the maids, looking for a case of arrows for practice. In there, she found another bow which looked much better than her own. However, when she picked it up, she felt a magical pulse surround it, making her drop it and run, looking for one of the adults.

Emma had been going to find Robyn ready for her lesson and caught her abruptly as she ran into her. "What's the matter?"

"I found a magic bow!" Robyn cried, her voice thick with fear after Cora telling both her and Lennie to never touch a magical instrument without their mothers or grandmother present.

Confused, Emma followed her niece to where the bow lay. Within moments she recognised it. "I have no idea how this is here," she muttered as she picked it up, looking over it, "but this belonged to your father."

"My father?" Robyn asked. She knew she had one and that she was named after him, but he was also dead. How could his bow be there?

Emma nodded. "It's a special bow that will never miss its target," she replied before she stood up. "You don't need this yet though, you're perfect without it." She ruffled Robyn's hair and led her away from the bow and outside.

Little did Emma know that Robyn returned that night and took the bow to keep it in her room.

After that little snippet of information about her father, Robyn started asking Zelena more and more questions about him, wanting to know everything about Robin Hood. Embarrassingly, Zelena realised that she didn't know that much. Realising that, she started thinking back over her life and how she ended up where she was. She missed the one she loved and she couldn't provide Robyn with the information she desired.

"I need to go back to Storybrooke," Zelena murmured to Emma and Cora one evening when the kids had gone to sleep. "I need to give Robyn the answers about Robin and I'd like to see Mal. It's been six years since we left. It's time we went back."

Both Emma and Cora were heartbroken at the idea of the two leaving them, but they knew they needed to. Emma was tempted to go with them in case Regina and Henry were back, but even after all this time, she still couldn't face seeing Hook again.

So, it was with a heavy heart a few months later, that Cora, Emma and Lennie said goodbye to Robyn and Zelena. There were many hugs and tears around before the two stepped through a portal and back to where they began.

oOoOo

Life without the two fiery Mills took some getting used to, but as Emma and Cora watched Elena playing in the leaves on the patio outside the sitting room, they knew she was okay without having Robyn there every day. Sure, she missed her, but she was getting on with it.

Emma turned to Cora, about to ask her something, when Elena suddenly rushed in from outside, her face flushed from both the cold from outside and the speed of running from the back gate around to the sitting room.

"Mom, Grandma!" She yelled, waving a small piece of parchment in front of their faces. "This just appeared in a portal like Auntie Zee and Robbie left through!"

Confused, Emma took the parchment out of Lennie's hand and read the short but clear note on the back. She gasped.

"What is it?" Cora asked, worried.

"It's Henry and Regina!" Emma cried. "They've been caught up in a new curse!"


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean, 'a new curse'?" Cora asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Exactly that," Emma replied as she passed over the message to her mother. "That's all it says. They're in another curse and need help. I don't recognise the handwriting to know who sent the note."

Cora waved her hand and produced a small, delicate magnifying glass, before using it to scour every last millimetre of the note, looking for more information.

"Mom?" Elena murmured as she rocked nervously on her feet. "What's going on?"

"Come here, honey." Emma stretched out her arm and wrapped it around her daughter once she'd sat down. "Remember I told you about your older brother and other mother?" Lennie nodded but didn't say anything. "According to this message, they're in some kind of trouble but I don't know what."

Lennie was silent as she took in the information that her mother had said. She didn't really know much about her other mother and older brother. There had been a time, shortly after she found out about them a couple of years ago, when she had asked question upon question about them. Her mother had answered some, others she had ignored. The main one was, "why aren't they here?" Every time that one was asked, Emma's eyes would glaze over with tears and she'd change the subject. After the fifth time of asking and receiving the same reaction from her mother, Lennie stopped asking to know more about them because she didn't want to upset her mother.

Now, however, knowing that they were in danger didn't sit right with her. There was a sadness and a worry there that she'd never felt before. Despite never meeting them, she felt connected to them somehow. However, before she could think anymore into it, Cora interrupted her thoughts.

"I've got it!"

"Got what?" Emma asked, turning to the older woman, her eyes filled with hope.

Cora gestured to the parchment. "This paper is made from aspen trees; do you see the particular swirls and nicks in the sheet?" Emma nodded slowly, unsure where Cora was going with this. "They're faint but this shows that the parchment is from the Enchanted Forest. The paper here, for example, is made from fir trees. Each realm seems to have its own unrefined parchment."

"So, someone from the Enchanted Forest has sent this?" Emma was struggling to wrap her head around what was going on. She didn't know anyone in the Enchanted Forest currently, aside from Merida and she was fairly certain the redheaded warrior would be in no hurry to help Emma with anything after the way she treated her when she was the Dark One.

Cora nodded. "The writing is rushed, meaning the curse will have been imminent but this person's last thought was, 'I need to save Henry'."

Emma's brows furrowed even further, the whole thing completely baffling her. "But they said Regina is in danger too?"

"A little bit of extra information to motivate you to help if Henry wasn't enough, I'm guessing." Cora was running her magnifying glass over the parchment once more.

"So, Sherlock, where are they?" Emma asked.

Cora pulled the glass away from her eye and sat back. "The Land Without Magic."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Because that narrows it down," she sassed with a sigh, but Cora wasn't listening. She wielded her hands in a complex patter before a small desk globe, similar to the one belonging to Rumple, appeared on the table.

Cora then turned to her granddaughter who hadn't spoken since Emma answered her earlier question. "Lennie, I need you to do something for me," she murmured softly, eyeing the needle on the globe.

"No way," Emma snapped, a little more forceful than she intended. "She is not pricking her finger. Can't one of us do it? I'll be able to find Henry or you can find Regina."

Sadly, Cora shook her head. "It has to be Lennie. She's biologically related to both of them, she'll be able to find them both and this spell can only be used once. On the rare chance that they're not together, she's our only hope." She turned once more to her granddaughter. "Can you do this for me, sweetheart?"

Lennie glanced at her mother who still looked apprehensive before looking back at her grandmother. "Yes."

"Thank you," Cora murmured before she waved her hand over the globe. It started to spin slowly before speeding up. It glowed a bright gold before stopping. Cora grasped Lennie's hand gently and waved her hand over it. "A numbing spell," she said quietly, making Emma relax a little. "Now, Lennie, can you press your finger against this spike here until it starts to bleed a little. It won't hurt, don't worry."

Nervously, Lennie nodded and did as asked. She winced as she pressed her forefinger against the spike, preparing herself for the pain but it never came. As soon as a little blood started trickling down the needle, she looked away and whimpered. She hated blood.

She then felt her hand being gently lifted from the needle and felt the shift of magic around her hand. When she looked at her finger, there was no sign that it had been injured.

"It's done now, honey," Emma said gently before Lennie rushed over to her mother, cuddling into her side.

Cora was back concentrating on the globe after healing Elena's finger. The blood had turned black as it seeped into the globe. Two thin trails were forming on the layer, interweaving as they searched out where Regina and Henry could possibly be. The wait for them to stop was agonising, Emma was biting her lip nervously until finally, they stopped barely a millimetre away from each other.

"Got them," Cora murmured, "I just don't know where that is."

She picked up the globe and showed Emma where the blood had stopped.

"I know it," Emma revealed quietly as she gently pressed her finger against the spot. "I had a job there once. They're in Seattle."

Now they knew where Henry and Regina were, Emma and Cora set about packing up what they needed. They had no idea what to expect so packing was a little difficult.

Emma instructed Elena to get together some clothes that would fit all weather conditions, with having no idea what season it would be, while Emma went in search of her phone and charger which would come in useful once they were back in America as she had an old contact who would be able to set them up with somewhere to stay. Cora was waving her hands, conjuring up the magic books she thought she would need along with packing some clothes. Emma had managed to persuade her to start wearing jeans as well as all the killer pant suits as Emma had point blank refused to wear any of the dresses worn in Wonderland by the others.

The next step was figuring out how to get to Seattle. If there was no magic on the other side, Emma was convinced a portal wouldn't work, despite the small stash of magic beans Emma had been given by Tiny back in Storybrooke.

"If we concentrate enough, we'll be fine," Cora said at Emma's concern. "We are three very powerful sorceresses; we can do this."

Over the past couple of years, Elena's magic had been going from strength to strength to the point that Cora called her a prodigy, naturally only after Robyn had left as to not upset her. Along with her impressive natural magical skill, she also seemed to have a way with animals. Perhaps it was the part of Snow White in her. Emma didn't want to think about her biological mother, but she couldn't deny that.

It started off with birds, akin to Snow, but it soon became more. Squirrels, deer and foxes would always come up to her to say hello. One afternoon, Emma and Lennie had been taking a stroll through one of Wonderland's bigger forests, because Lennie loved nature and Emma wanted to cheer her up after Robyn left, when they came across another beast. Unlike the Jabberwocky with its scaly black skin, this one was covered in fur, almost like a huge dog or bear.

At first, Emma was annoyed with herself for putting her daughter in danger. She recognised this animal from the book she had found in Cora's library. She'd taken to learning as much as she could about Wonderland after the mishap with the Jabberwocky so she could identify things. The shape and size of this was easily recognisable. It was a Bandersnatch.

In horror, Emma went to pull her daughter away and transport them back home immediately, but, to her utter surprise, Lennie held out her hand to the beast, a simple and small gesture. The beast stopped snarling and slowly got to its feet.

"Lennie," Emma murmured quietly, not moving an inch. "What are you doing?"

"Shhhhh," Lennie whispered to her mother before letting go of her hand and taking one small step forward. Her hand was still aloft towards the Bandersnatch. "Hello," she said quietly. "I'm Elena."

Emma watched on as the creature slowly made its way over to her daughter. Every fibre of her being was telling her to grab Lennie and run, but she trusted her daughter.

Lennie remained still as the animal was finally within reach of her. Still, she made no movement with her hand until the animal started nuzzling into her palm. Grinning happily, she turned her hand and started scratching him behind his ear. There was a low hum being emitted from the creature, clearly enjoying the attention.

"You're so cute!" Lennie cried, happy that she'd managed the to tame the beast. "I'm going to call you Baron." The newly named Baron seemed to enjoy the name as he leant into Lennie even more before laying down and rolling onto his back, allowing her to scratch his belly. "Mom, come join!"

Hesitantly, Emma made her way over to the two before gently scratching Baron behind his ear which he seemed to love.

After that, Baron came to live at the castle with them and became Lennie's pet and transportation as he allowed her to ride him. It was a bond like no other.

Lennie ran into the living room with her packed bag. "Mom, can Baron come too?"

Emma's eyes widened at the suggestion. "I'm afraid not, honey," she said softly. "It'll be too dangerous for him."

"But he's family!" Lennie burst into tears. "I don't want to go without him."

"I know, sweetie." Emma pulled her daughter to her and cuddled her close. "We will come back for him once this is over."

"Promise?" Lennie pouted her lip and gave her mother her biggest puppy dog eyes that Emma could never refuse.

"I promise," Emma swore before pressing a soft kiss to Lennie's head. "Now, let's get everything ready before Grandma can start yelling at us to hurry up."

Finally, Lennie cracked a smile and helped her mother pack up her clothes.

After another thirty minutes, the three were standing in the hallway. Cora had told the staff they were leaving and that their services wouldn't be needed anymore but she was grateful to every single one of them for coming back and had given them a hefty pay for their sudden departure.

Each woman had a large backpack packed, magically made lighter on their shoulders, and Emma was once more wearing her red leather jacket that she had not worn since stepping foot in Wonderland. She had hold of her daughter's hand and was taking deep breaths to centre herself before Cora threw down the magic bean.

"Think of Seattle, my dears," she instructed. She, herself, had no idea what it looked like, she could only think of the word. The same was with Elena. The two relied on Emma picturing exactly where they wanted to go.

Cora held onto Emma's hand before they stepped forward, hoping it would work.

Emma felt the flames tickling her skin as she stepped through the portal, her eyes shut in fear. Once the sensations of the flames ceased, she took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

They had made it.

The streets were exactly how she remembered them. A little run down and quiet, bright graffiti all over the walls. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on, hoping there would be enough battery to make one phone call.

With some luck, she still had ten percent after all these years of not using it. "I'll be right back," she murmured to the others, not taking in their expressions.

Cora was looking at her hands, wiggling her fingers, trying to summon her magic but there was not enough power to retrieve it. There was a hint of it in the air, of that she was certain, but not enough to cast any spells. She felt naked without it but knew there were more important things going on. She looked over to Elena whose eyes were wide in shock, having never seen a city before. She was staring after her mother before she reached out to take hold of her grandmother's hand while her mother made her phone call. Cora accepted her granddaughter's hand, grateful to have something else to concentrate on at that moment so she didn't start to freak out at the lack of magic.

It had barely taken her ten minutes before Emma came back with a grin. "We've got an apartment," she murmured, before taking hold of Lennie's hand once more and walking in the direction her contact had told her to head into.

The walk took them about fifteen minutes before they were greeted by a normal looking tower block. There was a security lock by the front door where Emma entered the six-digit pin she had been instructed to enter before she made her way into the building and towards the lift. Cora and Elena hurried along after her, trying to keep up.

Once the lift arrived, Emma stepped in and pressed floor four and the doors shut behind them. At first, Elena gasped, having never ridden in a lift before and that seemed to pull Emma out of her concertation.

"It's okay, honey," she murmured as she pulled her close. "We're just going to our floor. This is the quickest way."

She knew she would need to explain all of the wonders of the Land Without Magic to her, but right now in a public elevator was not the right place to start it.

Once they reached their floor, announced by the ding and voice, the doors opened and they were greeted by a small corridor. Emma glanced at the doors, looking for the right number, number 10, which was just to the left. She lifted the doormat on the floor and pulled out the key before slipping it into the door.

They were greeted by a moderately sized open plan kitchen, living and dining room. There was a large TV in one corner and a dining table to hold six in the opposite. The kitchen was big enough for both Emma and Cora to cook simultaneously should they want to.

Emma dropped her bag onto the sofa and instructed the other two to follow suit. She quickly plugged her phone in and put it on flight mode to charge it quickly.

"Let's go see our rooms, shall we?" She suggested before moving towards the hallway just behind the dining table.

The hallway was short with four doors coming off from it. The smallest was to the left, holding a single bed which Emma pointed out would be Lennie's room. There was then a small family bathroom beside it, fit with a shower, toilet and sink. The next room was bigger, fit with a large wardrobe and double bed.

"I'll take this one," Emma said as she wanted to make sure Lennie could get to her room easily in the night. That left the master bedroom with its own en suite. "Mom, this is yours."

Cora nodded as she took in the room. "How did you get this place?" She asked, a little nervous.

Emma chuckled as she made to return to the lounge, wanting to see how equipped the kitchen was.

"I used to be a bailbonds person," she revealed as she looked through the cupboards. There were many stacks of tins and pasta but when she checked the fridge, it was empty. That didn't surprise her. "I used to find people for a living and Chuck, the guy I called, asked for a huge favour a few years before Henry found me. I was living in Boston at the time which is at the complete other side of America," she added as Cora wouldn't know, "so it took me way out of my area and time zone to a place I'd never been, trying to find someone. Anyway, I found him, obviously, and Chuck said he owed me one as well as the huge pay. I'd never cashed in his favour, until now."

Finally, she stepped away from the cupboards and turned to her family. Lennie still looked a little scared and nervous, but Cora was nodding.

"Well, it makes our task here easier if we have somewhere to live," she commented.

Emma smiled. "Exactly." She glanced around the apartment again before heading to her backpack, pulling out her purse which she'd taken to Wonderland with her, though never actually needed it. "Right, I'm going to head to the store we saw on our way and get some basics." She took her phone off charge and smiled as she saw there was now just over fifty percent. "I'll need to stop by the bank to see how much money I have. I'm not sure what year we're in to know how much money is in my account." She pulled her face at that.

If they were anywhere from a couple of years before Henry found her and her time in Storybrooke, her account would be absolutely fine. However, if it was any time before that, they would be struggling.

Faking a smile, she walked over to her daughter and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon. Are you alright to stay with Grandma for a while?"

"I can't come with you?" Lennie asked sadly. The idea of not being with her mother in a new place was a little intimidating, even when she knew that her grandma would do anything to keep her safe.

"Not this time, monkey," Emma replied before pulling her close for a hug. She kissed the top of her head again before looking at Cora. "I'll be back soon. Charge your phone now that we can use them again. I'll call you if anything happens."

Cora nodded, already going to her bag to pull out the device. "Don't be too long."

Emma smiled. "I won't!"

oOoOo

The first stop took Emma to the bank she'd seen on her way to the apartment. The place was completely deserted with only one till lit up. She headed towards it and saw the cashier, a young woman with fake blonde hair, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there.

"Hi," Emma greeted nervously. "Can I get an update on my account please?"

If the cashier thought it was a strange request, she didn't show it. "Can I have your debit card?"

Emma nodded before slipping the card to the other woman and waited while she swiped it into the machine and tapped a few keys.

"Emma Swan?" She asked confirming Emma's name.

"Yep," Emma said nervously, but again, the cashier didn't care. She simply tapped a few more keys before passing Emma her card back along with a piece of paper.

"Anything else?" The tone in her voice showed that she really hoped there wasn't anything else.

Emma glanced at the small receipt and stared at the date. "No, thanks."

She turned and excited the bank in a daze as she stared at the paper. It was September 2018. Henry would have just turned eighteen had he not left to go travelling so she didn't know what age he would be. In her timeline, she was currently in Storybrooke, six months pregnant with Elena.

She glanced at the figure in her account and let out a sigh of relief. There was more than enough money to keep her going without a job for a few months, but it wouldn't last forever. A job would be better than nothing.

With a sigh, she headed to the store. She bought the basics, a loaf of bread and a bottle of milk along with tea bags and some sugar. Along with that, she picked up some juice for Elena and some veggies and a pack of mince, planning to make a simple spaghetti that night. She grabbed a couple of extras for meals she could throw together during the week and some snacks and sweeties for Lennie, and Cora, as the matriarch had quite the sweet tooth.

Before long, she was hauling the heavy bags back to her new home. It was starting to rain and all she wanted to do was unpack the groceries and flop on the sofa with her mother and daughter. She entered the kitchen to see Cora and Elena cuddle up on the sofa watching some cartoon she didn't recognise.

"There you are!" Cora gasped as she rushed over to help Emma with the groceries. "I called you three times, but you never picked up."

Emma's brow furrowed as she dropped the bags. She tapped around her body, looking for her phone but came up empty. Even after unpacking the bags and checking her purse, her phone was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it," she cursed. "I must have left it in the bank after getting my receipt." With an exasperated sigh, she ran her fingers through her hair. "I'd better go and find it. I don't have time to get a new one and I need all my contacts on that one."

Cora nodded and squeezed her arm. "I'll sort the groceries out while you're gone."

"You're a star," Emma breathed as hugged her. She kissed Lennie on her head. "I'll be as quick as I can."

Lennie smiled sadly and nodded before she watched her mother leave for a second time.

By now, the rain had started to pick up and Emma was getting drench. Fortunately, when she went to the bank, she found her phone lying on the counter. Clearly no one had been in after her. With a breath of relief, she picked it up before starting to make her way back home, but the weather wasn't having any of it. The wind was starting to howl and she couldn't see through the rain drops.

With a heavy heart, she nipped into the fist place she saw open, a pub called Roni's. She headed to the bar as it was the only free seat, her phone already in her hand ready to text Cora to say tell her about her delay.

She'd barely pressed send when she heard a voice above her. It was a voice that Emma would recognise anywhere.

"Hey there!"

Looking up, she completely froze. "Regina!" She breathed but this didn't look like her Regina. Gone was the straight hair and the pant suits and instead her hair was wavy and she was rocking jeans and a tank top. She looked hot.

"Welcome to Roni's." She smirked and her eyes flashed with a desire Emma had only seen once before in her eyes. "I'm Roni, what's your name?"


	5. Chapter 5

Emma started to stutter as she took in this version of Regina. There was no denying that this Roni was actually her daughter's other mother. The curse must have just messed with her slightly. However, there was a part of her that breathed out a sigh of relief. At least she'd found one of her missing family members and she was safe, despite being different.

"You do have a name, right?" Roni teased when Emma continued to be silent. Emma couldn't help but chuckle. Despite being cursed, Regina was still the epitome of sass.

"Swan," the blonde murmured as she held out her hand. "Emma Swan." She hesitated, wondering if Regina would recognise her name but she didn't. Instead, she took hold of Emma's hand and shook it firmly before releasing it.

"So, Miss Swan, what can I get you while you wait out the rain?" Roni asked before smirking at Emma's reaction. "I know my customers," Roni went on to explain. "I've never seen you before, and trust me, I'd remember a face like yours, so you must be new, plus it's raining so, it's easy to add two and two together."

Emma smiled, already feeling at ease with the woman she both knew so well and not at all. "I'll have a Jack and coke, but only small, I have to get back to my mom and daughter when this storm passes."

Roni raised her eyebrow as she started making Emma's drink of choice. "Honey, this is Seattle, the storm won't be passing anytime soon. You'll either be staying here all night, not that I mind," she winked and grinned when Emma blushed, "or you'll have to brave it." She placed the drink in front of Emma who moved to take her purse out of her bag before Roni softly pressed her hand over hers, stopping her movement. "The first one is on the house."

"It is that behaviour that has you in financial trouble, Roni," snarked a voice from behind them. "This is why I'm having to take over."

A woman, early fifties Emma guessed, came striding towards the bar. She had dyed blonde hair and was wearing a pants suit that probably cost more than the entire pub. She carried herself as if everything around her was beneath her. In actual fact, she slightly reminded Emma of Regina when they first met, but even more of a stuck-up bitch.

"You don't _have_ to, Victoria," Roni sassed. "You're _forcing_ me to."

Emma watched on as the two sparred. The new woman, Victoria apparently, kept throwing derogatory comments about the pub which Roni rebuffed easily until the newcomer decided to mix it up, changing to Roni herself as the target.

"I mean, look at you, you don't look like a boss with your style," Victoria sneered.

"Hey, leave her alone," Emma snapped. As far as she was concerned, the only two who could go head to head with Regina like this Victoria woman was doing and get away with it, was her and Zelena. Maybe Henry when he wasn't pushing his luck with his mother.

At Emma's interruption. Victoria turned to her and her eyebrows rose which made Emma feel a little funny.

"A new comer," Victoria murmured. "We rarely see these in our small Hyperion Heights." She held her hand out limply as if she was only showing the display of niceties. "Victoria Belfrey at your service."

Raising her eyebrow, Emma took hold of the weak hand and gripped it a little too tightly to be polite, but Victoria's face didn't show any pain. "Emma Swan."

Emma knew the look of recognition when she saw it. This woman knew of her, whether by face or by name, she didn't really know but there was some recollection there. Her surprised expression became more closed off, not wanting to reveal that she was well aware of who Emma Swan was, but just meeting her, Emma already had her first suspect behind the curse.

There were a few beats of silence before Emma turned back to her half-drunk glass. She picked it up and downed it in one before placing it gently on the bar.

"Lovely to meet you, Roni," she said honestly, because she was so relieved to see Regina looking so good, even if it was different, before turning to the other woman. "And you, Vicky."

"It's Victoria," the woman replied stiffly which made Emma cheer on the inside that she'd managed to piss her off even a little.

Emma turned to the barmaid and winked when she saw Roni was struggling to keep a straight face at the term Emma had addressed the uptight woman with. "I'll see you around, Roni. I have a daughter to see."

And with that, Emma slipped off the barstool and picked up her bag, this time ensuring her phone was tightly in her grasp, before she headed back home, the rain be damned. In the drama of the moment, she had forgotten about the pouring rain. Pulled her coat tighter, she started speed walking, wishing desperately she had her magic.

After fifteen minutes, Emma was once more entering her new apartment, but this time she was greeted with the heavenly smell of Cora's signature chicken pasta and she was sitting at the dining table with Lennie. There were three steaming plates ready, each accompanied with a glass of water.

"Perfect timing, dear," Cora greeted as she pointed to the table before frowning. "You might want to get out of those wet clothes first."

Emma nodded before heading to her room, noting that her backpack was no longer on the sofa. Instead, it was in her room, empty on the floor, and the few clothes she'd packed were hung up in her wardrobe. With a smile, she fought her way out of her clothes and dried herself with the towel on her bed before slipping into her dressing gown. She brought the wet clothes back with her into the kitchen and threw them into the washing machine to wash in the morning.

When she finally sat down at the kitchen table, she was exhausted.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Lennie asked quietly, placing her fork down to concentrate on her mother.

"All the better now I'm home with you, monkey," Emma replied with a warm smile to her daughter, making Lennie smile too before picking up her fork to eat again. She then glanced to Cora and smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the food, Mom."

Cora beamed like she always did when Emma called her 'mom'. "Anytime, my dear."

The three then set about eating. Emma didn't want to tell Cora what had happened until Elena had gone to bed. At that moment, she settled on just eating and regaining some energy.

Once the meal was eaten, and Emma had washed the dishes, the three settled down in front of the TV and Emma introduced her family to the wonders of Netflix. They had been able to watch some DVDs and TV back in Wonderland, but it had been limited. Emma allowed her daughter to choose and she went with Finding Dory.

For the entire film, Lennie cuddled into her mother, not wanting her to leave again. Emma wrapped her arm tightly around her daughter and kissed her head every now and then, proving that she wasn't going anywhere.

By the end of the film, Lennie's eyes were drooping as she fought to stay awake. Emma couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I think it's someone's bed time."

"Nooo!" Lennie said sleepily, the yawn that followed proved Emma's point making her laugh gently again.

"Come on, monkey," Emma murmured as she persuaded her daughter towards her bedroom.

Elena was just about awake enough to change into her pyjamas and brush her teeth before she settled into bed. Emma perched on the side and stroked Lennie's cheek.

"I know it's a big adjustment being here," Emma said softly, "but I'm hoping at the end of this, we'll be a proper family."

"With my other mom too?" The hope in Lennie's voice was impenetrable and Emma realised at that moment, just how much she wanted Lennie and Regina to meet. She just wondered how they could go about it while she was still cursed.

"Yes, honey." Emma brought up the duvet so it was resting underneath Lennie's chin. "Now, try and get some sleep. If you need me, I'm two doors that way and Grandma is just opposite. Okay?"

Lennie nodded before she rolled over onto her side. Within minutes, her breathing started to even out and it was clear that she'd fallen asleep.

Releasing a breath of relief, Emma gently got off the bed as to not wake her up. Having never been somewhere knew with Lennie before, she was worried that the new surroundings would unsettle her, but she seemed to be taking into her stride. She really was a trooper.

With one last look over her should, Emma headed into the hallway. She ensured Lennie's door was still open a fraction to let some light in before going back to the living room.

Upon arrival, she was greeted with Cora smiling gently and two glasses of red wine on the table.

"You looked like you needed it," Cora surmised as Emma flopped onto the sofa.

"Definitely," Emma said as she picked up the closest glass, taking three longs sips before placing it back down on the table. It was time to tell Cora what she knew, but she was half convinced the woman would run out of the apartment and into the pub to find her daughter immediately. The rain was still pouring outside and Emma dreaded to think of the drunkards she would meet along the way.

"Lennie was asking why her magic wasn't working," Cora started, realising that Emma wasn't quite ready yet to start her story. "She tried doing some spells, but nothing worked and she started to get frustrated."

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll tell her about everything tomorrow."

"I told her it wouldn't work here," Cora added. "But I can feel something in the air. There is magic here, we've just got to find it."

"We need to find Henry before we find any magic," Emma said. She was a little worried how Cora would react to not having her magic. She depended on it so much in Wonderland, well in life in general.

Cora nodded. "Of course, our family comes first. I'm just saying it would be easier to trace them with magic."

"Trace Henry," Emma corrected. At that, Cora looked affronted, clearly thinking that Emma had changed her mind about wanting to save Regina, but Emma cut off her negative thoughts. "I know where Regina is. I saw her earlier."

"What?!"

Finally, it was time for Emma's story to unfold. She told her mother about the trip to the bank, saying that she had enough money for the three of them to live off. Being a bail bonds agent had been quite lucrative.

Once the money issue was solved, Emma then said about finding her phone in the bank and the heavens opening. She wanted to wait it off for a little while and get home without looking like a drowned rat, so she nipped into the pub she'd seen on the way where the barmaid was no other than Regina.

"My daughter? A barmaid?" Cora repeated, looking a little faint. "How in the world did that happen?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Umm, the curse?"

Cora nodded and colour rushed back to her face in embarrassment. "Oh yes. Please continue."

Emma chuckled before telling Cora about the Victoria Belfrey woman. "She knows who I am," Emma said. "She took one look at me and she knew. Then when I said my name, it was confirmed. I'd say she's suspect number one. When Regina cast her curse, she became the mayor, the highest job in Storybrooke. This woman is clearly up there, she powerful if she's forcing Regina, now called Roni, to give up her pub, but I've no idea who her counterpart is. It could be anyone." She sighed and finished the last mouthfuls of her wine. "At least we have something. We just need to find Henry."

"We'll save them, Em," Cora assured her with a smile. "Don't worry."

"I know." Emma then stood up and stretched her back. "I'm going to head to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, dear."

Emma headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before heading into her room. She found an oversized t-shirt, which she recognised was actually one of Neal's from years ago that she'd never parted with, before slipping into bed.

With everything that had gone on that day, she was sure that she'd be awake all night, but it seemed the exhaustion took over as soon as her head hit the pillow and she was out like a light.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma woke up and quickly realised she wasn't alone in her bed. It wasn't unusual for Lennie to slip into her mother's bed on a morning and waking up somewhere new, it didn't surprise her.

"Morning, sunshine," Emma croaked as she came to.

"Morning, Mommy," Lennie said sleepily as the two sat up in bed. "What are we doing today?"

Back in Wonderland, Lennie's schedule was pretty set in stone. They'd wake up at around eight and have breakfast. Her morning would be split between a magic lesson with Cora and then tutoring with a local professor that Cora had hired. She'd have lunch and then continue school in the afternoon until three and then she and Emma would do some sort of sporting activity. Whether it was archery or going for a walk before dinner. Then on the weekends, they'd have family time.

Now they weren't in Wonderland, Emma was unsure how to go about her day. She knew that Lennie needed her education, but she didn't really want to put her into a school with so many new people, it would overwhelm her. She'd have to speak to Cora.

"I don't know," Emma replied. "But first things first, we're going to get some breakfast and I'm going to wash my soggy clothes from yesterday. What would you like to eat?"

The question was barely out of Emma's mouth before Lennie clapped happily. "Pancakes?!"

Emma grinned. "Coming right up, buttercup!" She then reached out and started to tickle her daughter's sides, making her giggle, a sound Emma adored.

"Mommy, stop!" Lennie requested through her giggles. "Mommy! MOM!"

"Yes, sweetie?" Emma paused her actions and feigned ignorance. "Was that 'please continue tickling me, Mom'?"

"No!"

"Yes? Okay!" With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Emma recommenced her tickle battle and Lennie's eyes were streaming through her giggles.

"What on earth is that racket?"

Emma and Lennie turned to the door to see Cora standing in the hallway with her dressing gown on and her hair mussed up from sleep.

Taking advantage of the pause, Lennie slipped out of bed and hugged her grandmother. "Mom tickled me!"

"What a meanie," Cora surmised with a chuckle. "Now shall we get some breakfast?"

Lennie nodded eagerly. "Mommy said we could have pancakes!"

"Then pancakes we shall have, my dear."

"Yay!"

Emma watched her family walk out of her bedroom as she slowly got out of bed herself. She stretched her back and sighed as it cracked satisfyingly before slipping her dressing gown on over her pyjamas and heading into the kitchen.

Once she entered, Cora was already mixing the pancake batter and Lennie was looking through the cupboards for some toppings. Emma quickly put some washing powder she'd found in the cupboard into the washing machine and set the wash going before she opened the fridge.

"There's some jam in here, honey," she said as she pulled it out. "I'm afraid I didn't get any syrup yesterday."

"Jam is fine," Lennie murmured as she stepped away from the cupboard and took a seat at the table.

About ten minutes later, Cora was dishing up a plate stacked high with pancakes, ready for people to dig in.

"We'll have to figure out what to do about food," Cora murmured after taking a bite. "And clothes. What we've brought won't last forever."

Emma sighed. "I know. We could go clothes shopping this morning, get some more things in?" She suggested and Cora nodded.

"That's a start."

So, after the three had finished their breakfast, Emma looked up the closest shopping mall on her phone and saw one about twenty minutes away. They knew they could always get a cab back to their apartment if Lennie got tired.

Shopping itself was actually much easier than Emma thought it would be. She had always been good at spotting a bargain and for all that they bought, they didn't actually spend that much. Emma was able to restock her closet with tank tops and a few extra pairs of jeans along with some extra t-shirts. Lennie shared a lot of her mother's style, opting for casual t-shirts and jeans and Emma even treated her to a pair of Converse All Stars.

Even Cora had a successful trip. She bought considerably less t-shirts and bought blouses instead but still purchased jeans over formal pants at Emma's request because she knew she'd stick out in the area dressing like she had in Storybrooke.

They decided to have their lunch while they were out, finding a small café, so that neither Emma nor Cora had to cook as soon as they got home. Emma had her typical grilled cheese, something she'd not had in the past few years as the chefs refused to make them. She had an inkling that Cora had something to do with it with the way she was eyeing Emma's food with distaste. Cora had a Caesar salad and Lennie had chicken nuggets. She'd never had them before but loved them, perhaps a little too much.

Their final stop after lunch was into a bookstore where Emma picked up the basics on English, Maths and Science, knowing that she or Cora would have to take over Lennie's education. She just needed to tell Cora that that was her plan.

"Now that my bank account is significantly lighter, we'd better call it a day!" Emma said. She took a few steps towards their apartment before stopping dead. "So that's why!"

Worried, Cora gently pulled on Lennie's hand to stop her from walking before turning to Emma. "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember when I was pregnant and I said my finances had gone weird?" She asked. "Like someone had spent loads of money and then it was as if they were replacing it bit by bit?"

Cora nodded, remembering Emma stressing about it and she didn't want her to stress at such a late state of pregnancy. Her only suggestion was that she'd figure it out eventually, which clearly, she had.

"I was the one who spent the money, I just did it," Emma continued, not actually allowing Cora to speak. "So, I need to get a job to replace it or the me in Storybrooke is not going to have the account she thinks she has." Her eyes then lit up as if a bulb had gone off in her head. "I have the perfect idea."

Once that was said, Emma started walking again and Cora and Lennie had to rush after her. Despite the many questions thrown in her direction, Emma didn't answer any. Even after they got into the apartment, she remained schtum, much to Cora's chagrin. Instead, she just headed into Lennie's room and started hanging up her new clothes before doing the same in her room. Boy, she missed her magic at the moment. It would have been much easier to just wave her hands over the bags and it all be done in seconds instead of the twenty minutes it took her in the end.

Then, after all the clothes were finally put away, Emma headed back to the kitchen and put the kettle on for a drink and got Lennie some juice.

"I'm going to get a job at Regina's pub," Emma said finally as she stirred the tea. She placed them on the dining table and looked up at Cora, expecting her to look excited, but instead she was very confused. "What?"

"Is that wise?" Cora asked. She sideways glanced to Lennie who had taken her drink and sat on the sofa, turning the TV on. "You know how you feel about her, don't give me that look," she added when Emma went to deny it, "this is going to confuse things."

Emma rolled her eyes. "My feelings for Regina are not important right now. I need to be somewhere where I can meet a lot of people and try and work things out. The bar is the best place to start. So many people are going to step in and out of those doors, providing so much information." She squeezed Cora's hand. "I can do this. I'll make sure I'm home as much as I can. I bought those books earlier so that we can home-school Lennie. I'm not letting her go to a school yet."

Cora nodded. "I presumed as much. I'll take over her education, don't worry."

At that, Emma couldn't help the raise of her eyebrow. "Really?"

"Dear, I was in control of Regina's education when she was younger and that wasn't just magic and princess lessons," she sighed. "I've got this."

Emma nodded and blushed. "Fab." She finished the last few sips of her tea and stood up. "I'm going to see if Roni's is open and ask about that job. I'll text you with any updates."

"Okay," Cora said, sounding anything but okay but Emma didn't want to overthink it. Instead, she headed towards her daughter.

"I'm going out for a little while to see about a job," she said softly. "I'll be back when I can."

"I don't want you to go," Lennie whined.

Emma frowned. "I know, sweetheart, but I have to. I love you." She pressed a kiss on Lennie's forehead. "Be good for Grandma."

"Love you," Lennie replied before she leant back on the sofa and crossing her arms, clearly sulking.

With a sigh, Emma bid goodbye to Cora, picked up her purse and phone and headed out of the door. She hated the idea of having to leave Lennie so much the last couple of days, but she knew she needed to get everything settled first. Once she had this job in place, she would be able to start a schedule for her daughter which she preferred.

The only thing she needed now was for Roni to say yes to a new barmaid, but as Emma made her way towards the pub, she saw a very familiar face enter before her.

All she could think as she made her way to the pub door was, "How on earth have you ended up here?"

_A/N: Who has Emma seen entering Roni's? Let me know your guesses!_

_I also want to say a huge thank you to all the favourites, follows and reviews so far. It means a lot! I hope you're all enjoying this slightly different version of season 7 and like where I'll be taking this! As always, if you have any suggestions or guesses as to what will happen, let me know! Love, Emss x_


	6. Chapter 6

Upon entering the pub, Emma saw that there were a few customers wiling away at some of the tables, mostly people sitting on their own except for one couple in the corner who looked like they were having a very heated argument.

The person Emma had followed into the establishment was sitting in a far corner by themselves where Roni had just placed a scotch in front of them. Emma waited for her to return to the bar before she made her way over.

The table was already covered in papers despite the occupant only sitting there for five minutes. There seemed to be official documents as well as a couple of newspapers. It didn't take long for Emma to realise they were some form of police officer after recognising the some of the documents from her time as Sheriff.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked, gaging their response to know if they had their memories. Unsurprisingly, their eyes narrowed and looked completely disgusted, making Emma think they remembered.

"There are plenty of other seats in here, don't bother me, I'm busy," he replied gruffly and Emma got all the information she needed. They didn't remember at all.

Quickly retreating, she headed to the bar.

"Don't mind Weaver," Roni said as she approached. "He's only pleasant after his third scotch and even then, it's a stretch."

Emma chuckled before glancing back. When she first saw Rumple head into the pub, she was more than certain he was going to remember. He'd weaved a loophole into Regina's curse so that he would remember, surely, he must have done the same this time if he was here? She just didn't know what it would be.

"Drink?" Roni asked, bringing Emma out of her thoughts.

Emma smiled. "Please, but maybe just a soda," she glanced at her watch, "it might be a bit early for alcohol."

Roni laughed. "Have you not seen the others in here?"

At that, Emma glanced around the room again and saw that everyone seemed to have an alcohol beverage, even Rumple, or now Weaver, was half way through his scotch.

"Well, for me," Emma clarified and accepted the drink. This time, she ensured that she paid for it, though it looked like Roni was about to refuse again. "I insist."

"Thanks," Roni muttered as she took the money. "So, what brings you back two days in a row?"

"I wondered if you were hiring," Emma revealed after taking a sip of her drink. "I'm new in town, like I said yesterday, and could do with a job to get me going."

Roni raised her eyebrow. "Did Victoria not scare you off yesterday?"

Emma scoffed. "Please, I'm sure her bark is worse than her bite. She didn't scare me at all." She smiled when Roni laughed. It was the same laugh that Regina had. It was melodic and full of joy. However, Emma hadn't really heard it in the past, but she always felt pride when she was the one to cause it. "I've done plenty of bar work before, so I know my way around and I live fifteen minutes away."

Roni seemed to consider it for a few moments, using the silence to glance Emma up and down, not that the blonde was really complaining. "You're on," she said eventually. "My niece used to help out but went travelling a few months ago and I hadn't gotten around to replacing her. When can you start?"

However, Emma didn't hear the question as her mind repeated Roni's words of "my niece". If this new curse had kept families together, then surely, she means Robyn, but she was nine when she left Wonderland, it didn't make sense. Then if families weren't together, had the curse come up with some new family for Regina that included a niece. What if the niece wasn't related to Regina and it was her partner's sibling's child? Emma's heart started race at the idea that Regina could be in a relationship and she felt her heart rise to her mouth which was absolutely ridiculous as they weren't together to begin with.

"Emma?" Roni asked hesitantly, realising the woman was lost in thought.

"Sorry," Emma said quickly. "That won't happen again. I'm free whenever. I just need to let my mom know so she can look after my daughter."

At the term, Roni smiled sadly. "I always wanted a child, but it wasn't to be."

This curse clearly had separated families then if Regina didn't remember Henry, who was her pride and joy. Just the notion that Regina and Henry had been separated filled her with sorrow and she frowned.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

Roni faked a smile. "It's alright, my friend Henry has a daughter called Sophia who is adorable. She's enough for now."

Emma choked and spat out her drink. Completely horrified, she picked up the cloth from beside Roni and started wiping the bar down. "I am so sorry!" She cried, her face flushing fuchsia in embarrassment. "I don't know what came over me. That will never happen again."

"That's not the first time someone's done that to me and I'm sure it won't be the last," Roni chuckled, Emma was glad she'd found some humour in it. "At least I know you can clean."

Emma laughed nervously. "I haven't blown it, have I?"

Roni scoffed. "Course not. Like I've said, it happens a lot." She then tilted her head to the side. "Actually, can I see you actually pour some drinks so I know what I'm working with?"

"Don't you believe me?" Emma teased. "I'm pretty good with my hands." She reached her arms out and cracked her knuckles. "Try me." Realising what she'd said could be taken differently to intended, especially when Roni smirked at her, Emma spluttered, "I mean, I can pull a pint."

Roni chuckled. "I understood, but I'd still like to test these 'good hands'."

Emma knew Roni was messing with her, but just hearing the sultriness in her voice made her feel things she shouldn't be thinking at that moment.

Changing the subject, Roni got a few half pint glasses from the shelf under the bar and started pointing to different beers for Emma to pour, only getting her do halves so the beer wasn't wasted.

Roni had Emma start with a lager as they were the simplest. Emma rolled her eyes as she tilted the glass and pulled down the tap, slowly bringing the glass up so the froth wouldn't be too much. Once done, she placed the perfectly poured half pint on the side, raising her eyebrows for comment but Roni said nothing, simply instructing her to pour a bitter. These were a little more difficult but again, Emma was a pro.

When it came to the ales, Roni stopped doubting her, not that she had in the first place. Emma slowly poured the drink and let it settle before placing it beside her other two on the side.

"Well?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

Roni tilted her head, pretending to inspect the beers but there were no faults. "I suppose you'll do," she sassed before picking up the ale and taking a sip. "Take one, it would be rude to waste it."

Emma raised her eyebrow before slowly picking up the lager as she wasn't really a bitter girl. Roni then called one of the men over to take the bitter so that it didn't go to waste. He simply grunted a thank you before returning to his corner.

Once they were alone again, Roni casually leant against the bar and sipped her new drink. "So, you have a daughter and live with your mother?"

Confused at the sudden conversation swerve, Emma tried not to let it show on her face. She blinked before smiling. "Well, she's not my mother biologically, but she might as well be," she said eventually. It felt odd talking about Cora with Regina, her biological daughter. "But my daughter is mine. She's called Elena."

"What about her father?" Emma could hear the curiosity thick in Roni's voice. She was clearly asking if Emma was with anyone. Despite the new personality, Emma could still read her like a book, a picture book at that.

"She doesn't have one," Emma murmured, sipping her own drink. It was technically true after all. "But I'm not currently with her other mother." She paused, waiting for a reaction but she relaxed when Roni's smile grew.

"So, you're single and into women?" Emma nodded. "It's my lucky day."

The blonde laughed, glad that the conversation was getting lighter again. Regina had always been so closed off, but this Roni was so open and she adored it. Despite being in her company for such a short amount of time, Emma couldn't help but feel their connection there. It had always been there in Storybrooke but hidden until that one drunken night. Then it became too palpable to cope with, causing a tension between the two of them. Now, there was no pressure between them because technically they didn't know each other so they could let loose.

"Apparently so," Emma murmured. She then glanced down at her watch and realised that she'd been gone just short of an hour. "I should probably get off; Lennie will be driving Cora around the twist." She paused again, wondering if the name would ring any alarm bells with the barmaid but there was nothing.

Roni frowned; she'd been having fun with the blonde. She was new and exciting and she found herself drawn to her in a way she never had with anyone else before.

"I'll have a look at the roster and see when you can start," she murmured, trying not to let the disappointment come through in her voice. When she looked up at Emma and saw that she was texting and not paying much attention to the barmaid. "Can I take your number so I can let you know?"

"If you wanted my number, you only had to ask," Emma teased, a smirk gracing her lips, but she passed her phone over to the brunette so she could enter her details and take Emma's. Having not used her phone in years, she couldn't remember the number.

Roni rolled her eyes, but Emma could see the small flush on her cheeks. "Well either way, I need your number for work and I wanted it," she sassed as she passed her phone back. Emma slipped it into her pocket and went to finish her drink. Roni cleared her throat. "Actually, thinking about it, can you start tomorrow? About eight o'clock? I have a singer coming in and it brings in a bigger crowd than normal so an extra hand could be useful."

Emma nodded. "I can do that." She finished her beer and made her way from behind the bar. "I'll see you at eight," she affirmed with a grin, "and I'll be sure to bring my manors."

Roni laughed again, making Emma's heart sing, and shook her head. "Dress in black," she requested, "See you tomorrow."

Emma smiled as she headed out of the bar. She glanced back at Rumple who had now finished his drink and was avidly reading an article, making notes along side it, before she headed home.

oOoOo

"So, guess who I saw at the bar," Emma said as she walked through the front door. Lennie ran over to her and Emma caught her, picking her up and carrying her across the room where Cora was sitting on the sofa.

Emma flopped down, being careful of Lennie as she turned to her mother whose head was currently deeply involved with Lennie's science book.

"Who was that, dear?" Cora asked absentmindedly.

"Rumple."

The next sound heard was the textbook slipping out of Cora's hands as she gasped, looking up at her daughter with complete shock on her face. "What?"

Emma nodded. "He goes by Weaver here apparently. He's a cop."

"Mom, what's a cop?" Lennie asked. "Who's Rumple?"

Lennie's questions managed to lighten the conversation and the two adults chuckled. Emma looked at Cora, silently asking if she wanted to tell Lennie the truth.

"Rumple is an old friend of mine," Cora revealed, not thinking now was the right time to excite the girl about her grandfather. Rumple needed to know about her before they ever met. She looked at Emma. "Does he remember?"

Emma shook her head. "I asked if I could sit with him, but he said to clear off, which is very much like him, but no, he doesn't remember." She then looked at Lennie. "A cop is a police man. I used to be one back in Storybrooke."

"I thought you were Sheriff?" Lennie tilted her head in confusion.

"It's another name for it," Emma said, not wanting to confuse her. She then glanced up at the clock and realised it was getting close to dinner time. "Who's hungry?"

oOoOo

"I still don't know if this is a good idea, Emma," Cora sighed the next day as Emma finished washing the post dinner pots before she was due to set off and go to work.

The day after she secured her job at the pub, she spent the full day with Lennie. They went for a walk around the city in the morning and Emma found a small park near the apartment which was made up of a swing and some grass. They passed part of the time with Emma pushing Lennie on her swing which she thoroughly enjoyed.

They spent the afternoon back at home and for most of it, Emma sat with Lennie, getting her to read aloud to her. She was quite advanced for her age and was already reading the Harry Potter series. They were half way through the Philosopher's Stone already despite only reading it for two days.

When Emma mentioned that she was going to be out for the evening, Lennie got upset, clinging to her mother crying.

"Please don't leave again, Mommy!" She sobbed.

Emma's heart broke as she cuddled her daughter close. "I have to, honey," she said softly as she ran her fingers through Lennie's ponytail. Her golden hair was getting long and needed cutting she realised. "I'll see you in the morning though. Plus, you'll be going to bed not long after I leave." She glanced up at Cora, raising her eyebrows, a silent request to make sure she didn't keep her up too long as Cora always fell for Lennie's puppy dog eyes.

At that, Lennie's tears started to slow. "I suppose," she mumbled. "But you won't be able to tuck me in."

"I'll be there tomorrow," Emma promised. "I'll try and make sure I don't work every night. You know I love our evenings together."

Once Lennie accepted that, she stopped crying and just cuddled her mother while the TV played in the background until Cora announced that their dinner was ready. Tonight, it was a large pot of chilli which was delicious as always.

"I have to do something," Emma murmured as she put on her red jacket over the requested black outfit. "I just have a hunch that this is where I'm meant to be."

Cora sighed before pulling Emma into a hug. "I trust you."

Emma smiled softly. "Good because my instincts are rarely wrong. What?" She added when she saw Cora looking wistful.

At the question, Cora blinked and shook her head. "Nothing."

The blonde raised her eyebrow, not having any of it. "What?"

"It's nothing," Cora repeated. "You need to go before you're late. Text me when you're on you way home, I'll try and stay up."

Emma chuckled as she hugged her mother tightly. "Don't. Go to sleep when you're tired, Mom. I'm a big girl, I'll be fine." Despite it being a common phrase, it was the first time Emma had actually said that. When she was younger, none of the foster homes had cared when she got in and her safety was rarely, if ever, their priority.

Trying not to think about it, Emma crossed the room to where Lennie was watching TV. She reached down and kissed Lennie's head. "Be good for Grandma, monkey."

"I will," Lennie confirmed with a grin. "Love you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart." She pressed another kiss to Lennie's head before heading to the door and stepping into the night.

When she got to the pub, the room was already thriving compared to the day before. There was barely anywhere to sit and most of the inhabitants were already a little drunk, if not completely inebriated. The singer was setting up at the side as Emma headed to the bar, tuning his guitar as a tech guy set up the amps and microphone.

Roni was behind the bar with a man in his mid-forties, who she later found out was called Remy, who was clearly in charge of the right hand of the bar. He was too focussed on his work, or already knew the blonde was coming, to notice her approaching as he didn't look up when she came towards the bar.

"Thank God you're here," Roni commented as she saw the blonde approach, looking very relieved to see her. The look made Emma's stomach flutter, but she tried to ignore it. "It's busier than I thought it would be. Nice jacket!" Emma laughed at that, knowing Regina couldn't stand the thing. "Put it in the back and then get ready. There aren't any cocktails on tonight so just standard drinks."

Emma nodded. "Got it." She headed to the back and hung her jacket on the coatrack before going back to the bar. She stretched out her arms and shook them, getting herself ready before she stepped forward to the first customer.

It was like riding a bike, she realised, as she poured what felt like her hundredth tenth pint. She was able to work the bar easily, remembering measurements for particular drinks and people's long orders as they got rounds for their friends. It was tiring work, but she was managing it.

In amongst orders, Emma was glancing around the room, trying to recognise anyone she knew from either Storybrooke, Wonderland or her brief stints in the Enchanted Forest but came up empty. Only Roni was familiar. After a while, she gave up trying to find anyone she knew and listened to the singer, who wasn't too bad but sang a little too much One Direction to say he was clearly in his thirties.

She was also unsurprised when most of the men kept trying to buy her drinks and flirt with her. She was still quite young, having not aged while in Wonderland even though Lennie had, apparently it was something in the air when she asked Cora about it, slim and blonde. She was a dream for most men, but she made sure to refuse and concentrate on her work. Plus, she could also feel Roni's watchful eye on her and she didn't want her to think she was accepting their flirtations.

Once the singer had finished, the pub started to empty a little which made things easier on her. She just finished getting a middle-aged man his fifth Budweiser when a new customer came in. He was tall and dark haired. There was something familiar about him, but Emma couldn't quite put her finger on it, although later, she really wished she'd recognised him sooner.

"It seems I've missed the singer, but the main act has been behind the bar the entire time," he murmured flirtatiously, looking Emma up and down.

Emma looked up, raising her eyebrow, trying not to roll her eyes at the terrible chat up line. "What can I get you?" She asked instead, not raising to it.

"I'll have a Bud light," he requested, "and whatever you're drinking. You look like you need something. Someone so beautiful shouldn't be working this hard."

Again, the struggle not to roll her eyes was there. Fortunately, Roni walked over to save her from responding. However, the name that came from her lips made everything the man had just said completely and utterly wrong.

"Henry, pack it in," Roni chuckled and Emma's eyes widened. That was why he looked familiar!

Unable to help herself, Emma stopped pouring herself a coke, after all Henry had offered to buy her a drink and she was pretty thirsty at this point with not stopping all night, as she took in her son. Seeing him now, she cursed herself for not seeing it sooner.

Of course it was Henry.

His hair was the same chestnut brown that he had inherited from his father and his eyes were the perfect shade of green that came from Emma. However, now, he wasn't the seventeen-year-old that had left Storybrooke, he must have been at least twenty-six and he looked well for himself. He'd bulked out a little and looked even more like Neal than he had when he was younger. He was handsome like she always knew he would be. Emma just couldn't get over the fact that her first baby was all grown up.

"I hope Jacinda isn't here to witness you flirting with my new starter," Roni scolded, sounding more like Regina, but there was a hint of jealousy in her voice that made Emma feel wanted. Roni clearly wanted Emma for herself, not knowing that the feeling was very mutual.

Henry shook his head as he accepted the beer Emma had finally given him. "No, J is with Sophia tonight with her mom, having a girl's evening. I've been kicked out the apartment for now." He rolled his eyes. "You know women."

Both Emma and Roni chuckled but there was another woman, standing slightly behind Henry who tensed at the term. She then looked up at Emma and her eyes widened but Emma couldn't tell why.

"Ivy, I'm surprised to see you here," Roni murmured when she saw the woman approaching.

Emma took her in. She looked a year or two younger than Henry with short brunette hair, a fraction lighter than Henry's with hazel eyes that were filled with sorrow. There was something about her that look a little bit familiar and Emma realised that she must be that Victoria woman's daughter, their resemblance was striking. However, her demeanour was completely different to the older woman's, something Emma was rather grateful of.

The woman, Ivy, took a couple of steps forward until she was at the bar. "I came to hear Nick sing," she shrugged. "I've not got out for a while with everything that's been going on and I thought this was a good excuse."

"It's good to see you," Henry said and Ivy looked even more upset, if that was possible.

Wanting to break the tensions, Emma coughed quietly. "Can I get you a drink?"

Ivy smiled gratefully. "Lime and soda with a drop of vodka, please."

"Coming right up," Emma said as she got to making it.

Henry and Roni stepped to the side, clearly having a private conversation. Emma could faintly hear the names Jacinda, Sophia and Victoria floating around but she couldn't make sense of them.

Instead, she looked up as she passed Ivy her drink. The woman was still wearing the confused expression, as she was trying to read something with the wrong glasses on.

"Is everything alright?" Emma asked slowly, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She picked up a glass in front of her to wipe just for something to do.

"Are you Emma Swan?" Ivy asked instead of answering.

Now it was Emma's turn for her eyes to widen. "How do you know who I am?"

Ivy chuckled humourlessly. "Do you think I wouldn't recognise my fiancé's mother when I saw her?"


	7. Chapter 7

The glass in Emma's hand slipped through her fingers and smashed loudly on the floor, shards shattering all over the space behind the bar.

"Shit!" Emma gasped and suddenly all the eyes surrounding the bar turned to her. Embarrassed, Emma started to bend down to fix her mistake but before she knew it, Roni was behind her, resting her hand on her waist to halt her movement.

"It's alright, it happens," she said kindly, flashing the blonde a gentle smile, before she picked up a dust pan and brush that was kept behind the bar. "Which is why we keep one of these here. I'll do it," she added when Emma reached for it.

"You don't have to," Emma muttered, wanting the moment to end.

"I insist," Roni said before she ducked down to start clearing the broken glass.

The blonde was blushing at her clumsiness but reluctantly accepted the woman's help. Standing up, she saw Ivy standing awkwardly with her now empty glass.

"I guess that wasn't the best way to announce that," she murmured quietly, her own face flushing slightly. She placed the empty glass on the bar.

Automatically, Emma took it and put it into the rack for dirty glasses behind her before turning back to Ivy.

"I just don't understand what's going on," Emma said, just as quietly,

Ivy glanced around and noted that Henry was talking to Remy and Roni was still sweeping the glass up. She reached into her handbag and slipped out an index card and a pen. After scribbling something down, she slipped it to Emma.

"Meet me here tomorrow at noon, please," Ivy instructed. "I'll tell you everything."

Before Emma could ask anything further, Ivy turned and weaved through the crowd, walking straight out the door and into the night.

Completely confused, Emma needed to distract herself. She slipped the card into her back pocket before she crouched back down to help Roni as best she could, as it was her fault, picking up the larger pieces of glass. She blushed again when she realised just how far the glass had shattered.

"Be careful!" Roni cautioned. "I am too tired to take you to the ER."

Emma chuckled as she placed the final shard she could see into the pan before she sighed. "I'm so sorry. I'm not usually that clumsy."

"Like I said, it happens all the time." Roni's tone was calm, she clearly wasn't annoyed. If anything, she found it a little amusing. She smirked at the blonde before sweeping up the final few shards.

The two then stood up and Roni went to rid them of the broken glass and Emma was left face to face with Henry as Remy had to go back to serving customers.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his face full of concern. "You look a little shaken. It was just a glass. I've broken a couple of bottles before now and Roni has never gotten angry."

At that moment, Emma cursed how well her son knew her, even when he didn't remember her. She faked a smile. "I'm fine." She nodded to his empty bottle. "Want another?"

Henry shook his head. "No, I'd better be getting home. Hopefully Victoria will have left by now so the coast will be clear."

He laughed nervously but Emma tried to understand his expression. Clearly Henry wasn't a fan of the woman who was supposedly his mother in law, well not supposedly at all. If Ivy was his real partner, Victoria would be his mother in law then. The biggest question was who was this Jacinda? However, before Emma could say anything, Henry was speaking again.

"Tell Roni I said goodbye."

Emma nodded and wished him on his way, but she was more than relieved when he walked out the door. She couldn't believe how much he'd grown. It was crazy.

What was more unbelievable was the fact that Ivy had called him her fiancé. Ivy clearly had some of her memories, whether she had them all was a different story. Emma was already itching to see her the next day and find everything out. Ideally, she had wanted to spend the day with Lennie as she missed her, but she could always take her with her.

When Roni returned, she called for the final round but not many people took advantage of it, simply slipping out of the door. Once everyone left, Emma automatically started going around the room and picking up the empty glasses and passed them to Remy who was stacking the dishwasher while Roni cashed up.

Once everything was done, Remy slipped on his jacket and bid the two goodbye before leaving through the front door. Emma went to the back to get her jacket and was about to make her leave too when Roni called her back.

"Fancy a post shift drink?" She asked. There was a slight shake to her voice, showing she was a little nervous to ask the question which made Emma's decision even easier to make.

Emma nodded, no hesitation whatsoever. She quickly pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket as she placed it on the stool beside her. She saw that Cora had text her to say Lennie went to bed about half an hour after she'd left and that Cora was settling in for the night at about ten. Glancing at the time, she saw that it was getting on for half past two, but the time had flown so quickly, she was half convinced it would only be midnight. Sure, she was pretty tired, but she couldn't not spend a little more time with Roni, she was too inviting.

Roni shuffled behind the bar for a few moments before she came back to the side Emma was resting on with two full glasses.

"A Jack and coke for the lady," she murmured as she passed the blonde her favourite. Emma couldn't help the grin as Roni remembered her tipple of choice despite pouring so many that evening. "I have a good memory," she added at Emma's impressed expression.

"So it would seem," Emma commented as she took a sip before sitting down on the nearby barstool. "That was quite a shift to restart my bartending career."

Roni chuckled as she sat beside her. "It was one of the busy ones, I'll admit." She then sighed sadly. "I'll miss it. I love this place and the people. It's my home."

"You don't have to give it up," Emma said softly. "She can't force you to."

At that, Roni laughed humourlessly. "You're new around here, you don't know her like we do. Victoria Belfrey has a way that if you're against her you're out."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "Surely she can't do that. What authority does she have?"

Roni took a sip of her drink before sighing. "She's the CEO of Belfrey Towers and seems to think that means she owns everything and everyone Hyperion Heights. She has the entire town wrapped around her bony, perfectly manicured finger. Ivy, who you met earlier, is her daughter and assistant but she's very closed off compared to Victoria. Anyway, it's no secret that if you annoy her, you end up 'mysteriously'," she held up her fingers in quotation marks, "disappearing. Take my sister for example. Kelly was against her and now she's gone." She then pulled a face. "Though that was partially my fault."

Now that piqued Emma's interest. Surely Roni sister's counterpart, Kelly, had to be Zelena, right?

"What happened?" Emma asked, not just wanting to keep Roni talking to find out more, but because she could see that the brunette clearly needed to get the this off her chest. No matter how false the storyline technically was in reality, to Roni in that moment, it was the truth.

Roni took a few more, rather large, sips of her drink before she placed the glass on the counter. "You know I said my niece used to work here?" Emma nodded. "Well I'm the reason she doesn't anymore. She was attending the local college studying things she didn't care about just to make her mother happy and she was miserable, so I told her to leave and live. I gave her the money she needed, plus she had a decent wage from working here, and she went backpacking." Roni then slipped her phone out of her pocket and pulled up her pictures. "She's been through Europe. Her first stop was Amsterdam, then what seemed like every city before ending in Moscow before heading to South America. Last I heard she was in Peru. She's having a blast by the looks of things."

When Roni turned her phone to the blonde, Emma knew exactly who the young woman in the picture was despite the age difference and round glasses. Emma couldn't help it when her eyes started to tear up as she recognised Robyn. She looked like she was in her early twenties at least. She looked like Zelena with wide blue eyes, but with Robin's hair colour and chiselled chin. She was so beautiful, and the glasses bizarrely suited her. However, Lennie would definitely be in for a shock when she met her cousin again and they'd gone from a two-year age gap to at least fifteen. The thought of it was a little upsetting as the two had been so close, but things never turned out perfectly.

Fortunately for Emma, she recovered over her feelings before Roni looked up. The next photo on her phone was of Roni and a woman who must have been Kelly because Emma would recognise that blazing red mane anywhere. It was Zelena in all her glory. Roni shut the photo down immediately as if it burned her eyes before slipping her phone away.

"How come you fell out with Z-Kelly?" Emma asked. If Roni heard the slip up in name, she didn't show it.

"She didn't want Margot to be so far away from home," Roni sighed. At first, Emma didn't know who Margot was until it clicked that it was Robyn's cursed name. It wasn't the name she'd have chosen but it suited her. "We ended up having a big fight, screaming at each other. I'm pretty sure things were thrown and our past with our mother was brought up." Roni shivered, making Emma want to ask what the story with her mother was but clearly Roni didn't want to talk about it. "I was about to go to her and apologise to her a few days afterwards because at the end of the day, she's my sister and we fight but we love each other, but Victoria told me she'd gone and decided to live in San Francisco of all places! I know my sister like the back of my hand, she wouldn't have left town and gone that far away if she hadn't been pushed by Victoria. The two have always hated each other though I'm not a hundred percent sure why." She sighed again and Emma hated that she sounded so sad. Clearly Roni really missed her sister. "Anyway, I've tried to call her and tell her to come back but she's either changed her number or just doesn't want to talk to me."

At that, Emma reached out and squeezed Roni's hand softly. "She'll come around one day," she soothed. "She'd be crazy not to want someone as amazing as you in her life." She blushed as she heard the compliment before quickly continuing to cover it up. "God knows I've had enough family trouble to last me a life time."

"Oh?"

Now it was Emma's turn to take a deep breath. She took a few sips of her drink before placing it on the counter so that she could cross her arms over her tummy. She was so overcome with memories that she hadn't realised she was still resting her hand over Roni's and had started absentmindedly stroking her thumb over the smooth skin.

"I grew up in the system," she revealed. "My parents sent me away when I was born." It was essentially the truth. "I found them a few years ago and they said they never wanted me to go but they had to for the 'greater good'…don't ask," she added when Roni went to. Naturally the woman wouldn't believe the truth and now was not the moment to start talking about Fairy Tale characters if she wanted her to like her, though to what capacity, she currently wasn't sure. "But since I found them, my mom, my real mom Mary Margaret, just didn't know what to do with me. I was twenty-eight when I finally found them, and it was like she was expecting me to still be the baby they gave away. My dad, David, was able to get used to the idea more and we get on quite well but then it all went to shit when Cora came to town. She had history with Mary Margaret, but I never really had an issue with her personally."

She then picked her drink up again and slowly finished it, trying to figure out how to tell Roni how Cora helped her with the pregnancy while making it seem like she was with a woman as she'd said Lennie had another mother. Plus she wanted to share her abusive marriage but couldn't. God it was going to be difficult. Then again, she realised it was probably better to tell the brunette about Hook when she was Regina, knowing she wouldn't be too impressed that Emma told the cursed version something that important.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," Roni murmured softly, misunderstanding Emma's silence. "I mean we barely know each other."

Emma smiled at the other woman and truthfully said, "I feel like I've known you forever and that I can talk to you but do tell me to shut up if I'm oversharing."

Roni laughed and picked up Emma's now empty glass, automatically going to make her another. It was only when she moved that Emma's hand felt cold. She snatched it back to her side and slipped it into her pocket.

"I'm a bartender, we're uncertified therapists," Roni chuckled as she handed Emma the new drink.

"True. Thanks," Emma murmured as she accepted the glass. "Cora was there for me during my pregnancy when my mom wasn't. She had all of these little tips and tricks she did when she'd been pregnant that my mom didn't think to share with me as I'd been pregnant before." Emma bit her lip. "I had a rough childhood and gave him up for adoption. I was barely eighteen, I couldn't look after both of us. Anyway, I've met him since and he was adopted by an amazing woman who I get on with really well, well, most of the time," she added, chuckling a little at her inside joke about the woman right in front of her. "Aside from that, literally the night I gave birth to Lennie, my mom asked me to chose between her and Cora and I chose Cora because to me, she is my mother. She's saved me from things I never realised I needed saving from."

"Sometimes you can pick your family it seems," Roni muttered quietly.

Emma then glanced up from where she'd been staring at the floor and realised that Roni was closer than she last thought she was. The last time she'd been this close to the brunette they'd ended up kissing after many more drinks than they'd had that evening.

Being this close again, that night flashed before Emma's eyes and she finally knew the answer to the unasked question of who kissed who first.

_Once they had decided to go back to Regina's when the last round had been called, the two had stumbled their way through the town. Emma was past caring what people thought of their Saviour and Sheriff these days. They had crashed through the front door of the mansion, both giggling loudly, cheering at the fact Henry was at Violet's so that he wouldn't overhear them, before Regina went to get them her decanter of cider while Emma took a seat in the living room._

_She flung off her red leather jacket so that it landed on the floor and shook her shoes off, knowing the haphazardly placed items would wind Regina up but the mayor simply rolled her eyes at it as she entered the room, levitating two glasses in front of her and holding the decanter. Quickly the glasses were filled with cider and she took a seat beside the blonde, far too close than was really necessary but neither were complaining as they felt the heat radiating off the other._

_For a little while, they just sipped their cider as Emma glanced around the room before her eyes settled on the photos on the fireplace. Sure, she'd been in Regina's living room before but only for a few minutes here and there. Looking now, she saw that the mantelpiece was covered in many photos of Henry at different ages but in the centre was one taken a few weeks ago by David at Granny's. It featured Regina, Henry and Emma, sitting at a booth laughing about something. Regina was looking at her son, her face filled with happiness, but Emma, while still laughing, was staring at Regina._

"_What were you thinking then?" Regina murmured, seeing what had taken Emma's attention._

"_Honestly?" Emma asked quietly, placing her drink on the table and crossing her arms. It was a habit she picked up whenever she was slightly nervous, despite how drunk she was. Regina nodded, following Emma's movement and placed her drink down. "I wanted to kiss you."_

_The room went silent but to Emma, all should hear was her beating heart going crazy. She glanced at the floor, not wanting to see Regina's reaction to her confession_

"_Why didn't you?"_

_Emma's head snapped up and her green eyes met Regina's chocolate ones. "We were in public and I was engaged."_

"_And if we were in private, like we are now?"_

_Emma had no idea where this conversation was going, she was both terribly nervous but slight excitement was starting to bubble up. "We've had too much to drink, Gina, we'll regret this in the morning."_

_Regina was quiet for a moment before nodding and picking up her glass once more. The two were silent again, the alcohol still pumping around their bodies. Emma glanced at the woman beside her and decided to throw caution to the wind. The woman beside her was the most beautiful woman she'd ever laid eyes on, she was the other mother to her son and her best friend. She was the most important woman in her life and in that moment, she knew what she wanted. However, her next action could either be a recipe for disaster or a blessing in disguise._

_For the first time in her life, Emma decided to follow her family's belief and just hope. She turned to Regina and took the leap of faith._

"_Henry has a–"_

_Whatever Regina was about to say was cut off by Emma's lips pressing softly against hers and she could feel her heart sing when Regina started to reciprocate within seconds, tangling her fingers into Emma's hair, before the two ended up making their way upstairs._

"Emma?"

The blonde was brought out of her memory by the woman who was featured. Roni had all the same qualities that Emma adored in Regina. She was beautiful, she always would be, especially in the tank top she was wearing which showed off her arms which Emma had never seen before except for that night. She was sassy as hell and confident. Roni was aware that she was sexy and good looking and used it to her advantage. On top of everything, she was also kind and light-hearted, a side that Regina kept hidden except to a select few. Emma counted herself lucky that she was one of them.

What Roni was that Regina wasn't was that she was open and laidback. Emma had always wanted the mayor to just relax a little bit and enjoy life and finally she was doing. It was just upsetting that it had to be by being cursed.

"Sorry," Emma murmured. "I got lost in my head for a moment."

She looked up and met Roni's eye and saw the attraction and lust that she was sure would be reflected in her eyes. It would be so easy to just close the small gap between the two of them and seal their lips together. In actual fact, there was nothing more she wanted than to taste Regina's lips again and feel them against hers.

Roni's chocolate eyes kept flicking between Emma's eyes and her lips, before she subconsciously licked her lips, moistening them a fraction. Unable to help herself, Emma's breath hitched at the movement, the brunette's now wet lips were calling her even more and she felt herself moving forward.

Literally seconds before their lips touched, reality hit Emma like a tonne of bricks. As much as Roni looked and acted like Regina, she wasn't her, not really. She didn't want her next kiss with the woman she loved to be while she was cursed. She couldn't help herself.

Slowly, and regretfully, she pulled back and cleared her throat, completely ruining the moment. "I should be heading home. I have a seven-year-old who gets up early."

Confused by the clear rejection, Roni nodded before standing up to create more space between them. "Yeah," she said absentmindedly when Emma could see that her head had gone into overdrive. "I'll text you when I've worked out next week's roster."

"Thank you," Emma replied as she picked up her jacket beside her and slipped it on. "And thanks for the drinks."

Roni smiled but Emma could see the disappointment in her eyes. "Goodnight, Emma."

Forcing herself not to hug her as she wanted to cheer her up somehow, knowing if she got close to her, she would cave and kiss her, Emma headed towards the front door and went into the night without looking back.

All throughout her walk home, Emma couldn't get Roni's expression out of her mind. She genuinely looked upset that Emma didn't want to kiss her. She completely understood why. There was a clear connection between the two of them, whether it was the fact that they already knew each other, she didn't know. If the roles had been reversed and Roni had pulled away from her, she would have been just as devastated. They had shared some of their past with ease when neither were known to do so and they had laughed and joked as if they were old friends, which they sort of were. It was so confusing and it was driving her up the wall. If it hadn't been the middle of the night, she would have screamed.

Once she got home, she snuck in the front door, trying to be as quiet as she possibly could. On the way to her room, she peaked into Lennie's bedroom and saw that she was out like a light, snoring slightly. With a soft smile, Emma backtracked and went into her room.

She had never been so grateful to see her bed. She slipped off her clothes, not bothering to put any pyjamas on, before she flopped into bed, sleep overcoming her immediately, but the image of chocolate eyes and brunette hair weaved into her dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

"You almost did what?"

Emma winced at the shrill of Cora's voice, wishing she could plug her ears with some cotton wool.

It was the next morning, bright and early. Lennie had burst into her mother's room barely five minutes past eight and, as she'd gotten in after three, Emma was rather tired but she seeing her daughter never failed to make her smile.

Lennie was watching cartoons on the TV, her new favourite thing, while Emma was filling her mother in on her shift the night before. The two were sitting at the table, both nursing a cup of coffee to wake them up. Despite everything she'd said about Henry, Zelena and Ivy, the biggest reaction was the fact that Emma had almost kissed Roni.

"What?" Emma asked sharply. She glanced to Lennie, hoping she wasn't listening, not that she would understand what was going on, fortunately, she was fully absorbed in the characters on the TV screen.

Cora tilted her head, raised her eyebrow and sighed. "Really, Emma? You have to ask?" When Emma said nothing, Cora continued. "You can't fall for this Roni, even if she is Regina. Break the curse, then tell her the truth. There's a time and place."

Emma grimaced. "I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I just can't control it. At least I stopped it."

"That's true," Cora sighed. Realising she had perhaps been a little hard on the blonde, she reached out and squeezed her hand. "Once the curse has broken, everything will work out. Now," she drained her coffee and place the mug back on the table, "are you going to take Lennie to meet this Ivy?"

"I was planning on, why?" Emma eyed her mother. Cora had a secretive look in her eye. The blonde's eyes narrowed. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Cora said quickly and Emma's lie detector pinged crazily. "I just can't look after Lennie today. I'm leaving at ten."

At the tone, Emma knew she shouldn't ask where she was going, despite the fact she couldn't even start to guess. Cora didn't know where anything was and she didn't know anyone there.

A loud giggle pulled the two at the dinner table out of their moment. They glanced over to Lennie who was laughing at something going on on the TV. Emma had no idea what she was watching but at least someone in the room was enjoying themselves.

With a sigh, Emma pushed herself away from the table and walked over to her daughter. Flopping on the sofa, she opened her arm and Lennie crawled into her mother's embrace.

The two stayed that way until Cora announced that she was leaving. She was wearing a dark grey peacoat and she had put on a little bit of makeup.

"Grandma, where are you going?" Lennie asked and Emma was secretly happy that her daughter had the ability to ask without Cora getting annoyed.

Cora didn't glance at Emma, keeping her eyes on her granddaughter as she answered. "I'm going to see an old friend. I'll see you later." She blew her a kiss before opening the door. "Bye!"

Once the door had shut behind her grandmother, Lennie turned to her mother. "Who is she seeing?"

Now it all made sense. The only person Cora knew in Hyperion Heights that she could class as an old friend was Rumple. However, as Lennie wouldn't know who he was, especially the fact that he was technically her grandfather, Emma just shrugged.

"I'm not sure," she murmured. Technically, she couldn't be a hundred percent sure that Cora was going to see Rumple, so she wasn't completely lying.

Fortunately, Lennie took Emma's answer and didn't have any further questions, for now anyway. She simply turned back to the TV and continued to watch.

After another half hour of watching the show, Emma glanced at her watch and saw that it was getting close to half eleven. Ivy wanted to meet at noon and Emma knew her daughter wouldn't go anywhere around lunch time without having something to eat beforehand. It made the blonde chuckle at how similar her daughter was to her sometimes.

"Lunch?" Emma announced after the cartoon finished. She stood up and started making her way over to the kitchen in search of bread and ham.

Lennie looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, she could already tell the time pretty well, and frowned. "Mom, it's not even twelve yet?"

Emma gasped jokingly. "Is my daughter complaining about getting food? I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Just be glad I don't have my magic," Lennie giggled as she followed her mother to the kitchen area. "I'd have throwed a pillow at you for that."

The older blonde raised her eyebrow, momentarily not correct her daughter's misuse of the past tense. "You know, you could just not be lazy and throw the pillow yourself."

At that, Lennie just rolled her eyes as she sat at the kitchen table. Emma watched her daughter's action and it made her shiver how similar she was to Regina sometimes even though the two hadn't met. Then again, it was a very Zelena response too, so it clearly ran in the Mills' bloodline.

Distracting herself, Emma made the two a ham sandwich and got a glass of juice before she joined her daughter at the table.

"So why are we eating early?" Lennie asked half way through her meal. She was far too inquisitive to say she wasn't even eight yet.

"I have to go out again," Emma replied. "There's someone I need to meet."

The sandwich Lennie had been holding slipped out of her hand. "You're leaving me again?"

"Do you really think I'd leave you home alone?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrow. "There are no maids to watch you here and not to mention, it's illegal. You're coming with me, silly."

"Really!?"

The excitement in Lennie's eyes was bright enough to light up a black tunnel. It was so radiant and warm, and it made Emma feel so guilty that she'd had to leave her so often over the past couple of days.

"Really, really," Emma confirmed. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was getting close to noon. She had looked up the park Ivy wanted to meet at earlier and saw that it wasn't too far away from where they were living. "So eat up, honey, we've got to get moving."

Lennie nodded and picked up her fallen sandwich, happily munching on it again.

Not ten minutes later, the two Swans had put on their coats, Emma choosing a black jacket this time to be more inconspicuous than in her red, and were making their way towards the park.

When they got there, the park looked deserted. It didn't surprise Emma though, a conversation this important wouldn't be done somewhere they could easily be overheard. Along with that, there was a chilling breeze to the air, signalling that winter was soon approaching so children wouldn't want to go to the park and play. She glanced at her daughter to make sure she was warm enough, but the cold had never really bothered Lennie in the past and as she took her in now, it clearly still didn't.

"Is she who we're meeting?" Lennie asked as she pointed to someone sitting in the corner of the park on a rapidly rusting bench.

Emma squinted, despite having her contacts in, she still sometimes found it difficult to see into the distance and was slightly jealous of her daughter's perfect eyesight. She had gotten used to just magicking her eyesight in Storybrooke and Wonderland that she wasn't used to needing contacts. As they got a fraction close, Emma recognised the brunette despite the long black coat she was wearing.

"Yes, it is, honey," Emma confirmed as they approached.

When they approached, Ivy looked a little apprehensively at Lennie.

"Hey," Emma murmured. "This is Elena, my daughter. Lennie, this is Ivy."

"Hi!" Lennie greeted happily before she turned to her mother. "Can I go play on swings?"

Emma nodded, rather glad that her daughter wanted to be elsewhere, plus she didn't expect anything different. There had been a swing set in the palace gardens were Robyn and Lennie used to play.

With a delighted squeal, Lennie ran off to the swing and sat down. Emma winced at the squeak from the old metal but she couldn't see anywhere that would cause it to break and Lennie wasn't that heavy so she would be fine.

Once Lennie was gone, Emma sat beside the brunette. "Hi," she repeated.

"Hello," Ivy said nervously as she glanced at Lennie. "I didn't know Henry had a sister. He never said."

Emma shuffled nervously. "He doesn't know. He left before she was born, and I didn't want to tell him after he'd made his decision to leave."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, he'd have never left if he knew. He felt bad about leaving you but wanted to find his own story."

"Yeah," Emma said softly, a smile gracing her lips as she thought of her son. "He's always been after a good story." Not wanting to wait any longer, Emma got to the point. "What happened?"

"First things first, you should know that I sent you the letter," Ivy revealed. "The curse was coming and I knew if there was anyone who could help my family, it would be you."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you know where I was?"

"I didn't, I just had a magic bean and thought of your name as I sent it," Ivy said slowly. "There was no way we'd get out of this if we didn't have help."

"How do you remember it all?" Emma asked slowly.

Ivy swallowed, clearly very nervous about everything that was going on. "Please don't judge me for anything you hear but it's better that it comes from me." She took a deep breath. "I cast the curse that brought us here."

The brunette paused, waiting for Emma to explode and yell at her, but it never came. She glanced up at the blonde who just looked confused more than anything. Clearly everything Henry had told her in the past about his laidback blonde mother was correct.

"Now, I'll channel my inner Henry and tell my story," Ivy said with a small chuckle. "It started when I was seventeen…"

Ivy then shared her story. Back in the Enchanted Forest, she went by the name of Drizella and Emma tried not to roll her eyes at the fact she was now talking to one of the so-called ugly sisters. She had a younger sister called Anastasia, but she died when she was young from influenza which destroyed their mother who had always preferred Ana. After their father died, their mother remarried Cinderella's father, as went the traditional story but Cinderella was not as innocent as the story said and Tremaine didn't kill her husband, he was just as evil and twisted as his wife and daughter.

Cinderella often picked fights with Drizella, sometimes inflicting pain upon herself to make it look like her stepsister had done it. She stole Drizella's belongings and ruined them before giving them back. Everything she did, including killing the pet cat, she warped so that Drizella would get the blame. No matter what happened, Cinderella got off scot free and Drizella would be in trouble.

When Henry arrived in the Enchanted Forest, both sisters took a fancy to him. He was nineteen at that point, after exploring Agrabah for two years, and was very handsome. Immediately, he was drawn to the shy brunette and wanted to get to know her. Cinderella didn't even seem to exist when he met the two.

For the first time in years, Cinderella had not gotten what she wanted and was furious. No matter how much Lady Tremaine tried to persuade Henry to choose her stepdaughter, he refused which angered the matriarch to high heavens, locking him up in the cellar and threatening him with torture and death if he didn't choose her.

That was when Henry had called for his mothers to come help.

"He was so surprised when you didn't come with Regina," Ivy murmured. "Regina never really told him why you didn't come. Was it because you were pregnant?"

Emma shook her head. "Regina doesn't know about her either." She glanced back at her daughter who was having the time of her life on the swing, getting higher and higher every time. "Be careful, Len!" Emma called out. "Don't go too high!"

Elena didn't respond but she started slowing down at her mother's request.

"But she is Regina's daughter, isn't she?" Ivy presumed.

The blonde's head snapped to the brunette in complete shock. "How did you…"

Ivy chuckled. "I know Regina well after spending over five years with her. Their eyes are the same, there's no denying it there." She then sobered up. "Plus, she talked about you all the time. They both did. Anyway…"

The story then continued. Regina arrived in the nick of time to save Henry from Tremaine's hideous torture device that lived in their cellar and she rescued her son and his girlfriend from the villain's house.

They made it to a small house on the edge of the next village and asked to stay. The woman, called Tiana, was more than happy to accept them as she and Ivy knew each other. Tiana and Cinderella had been best friends many years ago before Cinderella changed. She knew all about her evil ways and after hearing everything that had happened to them, she was more than happy to start building the revolution against them.

Over the next year, they built up a defence, but Regina knew that it was missing a couple of key members. She then went in search of her sister and found Zelena and her now eighteen-year-old daughter living on a farm on the far side of the Enchanted Forest. Even there, the witch had heard about the Tremaine's search for power as they tried to take over the entirety of the Enchanted Forest. Zelena happily joined forces and Robyn offered to help where she could.

The next team member to join was none other than Rumplestiltskin which answered Emma's previous question to how he had ended up in Hyperion Heights to start with. However, he was not the same man he had once been. He'd lived a lifetime since he'd last seen Regina and along the way, he'd lost Belle who had died of old age. She had died in his arms and he was broken without her. All he wanted now was to find a way to be with her. Though he didn't even know where to start looking. Regina was able to persuade him to join their forces and then she would help him find the answers he was looking for. As always, Rumple could never say no to the former Evil Queen, not that he knew the real reason behind that.

With the Dark One on their side, they had a lot more advantages than the other team.

The final members to join, though separately, were Captain Hook and his daughter, Alice. When Emma heard her ex-husband's name, her eyes darkened.

"It's not the same Hook," Ivy said softly, sensing Emma's distress. At first, she was a little confused as last she heard, Emma was married to the pirate but then she remembered the younger blonde, now on the slide, was Regina's daughter and not Hook's. Clearly there was more to the blonde than met the eye. "It's the wish version. I'm not sure how, but there are two of him. His daughter, Alice, also joined but I think that was more to do with Robyn than to help the revolution." She chuckled again when Emma's eyebrows shot up. "They're a very cute couple."

Ivy shuffled in her seat for a little bit as she thought of how to address the next part to her story.

"Take your time," Emma murmured. "Don't rush."

The brunette smiled gratefully at the blonde. She was as kind as Henry and Regina had always described her. The two had known her so well that Ivy already knew everything about her and could second guess her actions. So far, the day had unravelled how she had hoped it would go.

"We were about to lead the first fight against them," she said eventually, slowly. "I was ready to go; Regina had been training my magic which was surprise to the system when it showed up one day. I only wish it had appeared when I was a little younger to save Ana and my father." She swallowed. "But before we set off, I felt so woozy, I could barely walk. They went without me and Zelena, of all people, stayed with me. Apparently, they wanted someone with magic with me in case anything happened. But I wasn't ill, not at all." She glanced at Lennie with a pained smile. "I was pregnant."

"Sophia?" Emma breathed, remembering the name of Henry's daughter.

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, I had a little girl who we named Sophia Enna." She glanced up at the blonde. "Enna for both Emma and Regina. It was Henry's suggestion."

The blonde started to tear up, hearing that her granddaughter had been named after her. Although, the fact that she was a grandmother was a little bit daunting.

"Regina had the same reaction to becoming a grandmother," Ivy revealed with a chuckle. "She was both so happy for us and the fact that I wasn't ill, but also rather shocked to be becoming a grandmother earlier than planned. I mean, I was twenty then and Henry barely twenty-two. Anyway, we started to win, everything was going well until Gothel appeared."

Again, Emma struggled to not roll her eyes as yet another character she'd seen in a film arrived into the story. However, the real Gothel was an even bigger piece of work than the film version. She was enslaved by Cinderella and the Tremaines to attack the revolution, but then she turned on everyone and started picking out individuals to torment.

The first was Lady Tremaine's husband. Gothel poisoned his heart against his daughter and his wife, but they thought they were better than a "silly curse" and ignored his screams of pain when they were close, thinking they could save him. It was to no avail and he died, screaming in agony, and they had no one but themselves to blame for ignoring all the warming signs.

However, just after Sophia turned four, Gothel's next and final victim was Henry but she strengthened her curse. Neither Ivy, Sophia nor Regina could go anywhere near him without him screaming in agony. Rumple tried to do everything he could to save his grandson, but he was just making it worse.

"The only solution was the curse," Ivy whispered as she looked up at the blonde, her eyes full of tears. "I had to take him to the Land Without Magic. It was the only way to save him. While he's here, he's not cursed. The only issue is, while we are here–"

"There's no magic to save him either," Emma finished, predicting what the woman who was technically her daughter in law was about to say.

Ivy nodded as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I cast the curse with Regina's help and before it took us, I sent the message to you to help. You've broken the Dark Curse before. If there was anyone who could do it again, I knew it was you."

Emma had her lie detector on full pelt throughout the woman's story and it never went off. She was telling the whole truth. There was just one part of it that unsettled her.

"But if you cast the curse, why is Henry with this Jacinda woman with your daughter?"

Two tears slipped out of Ivy's eyes. "I didn't have any control who ended up with who. I'm just glad Soph is with her father and while she's cursed, Cinderella, Jacinda as she's known here, is taking good care of her. Even Mother adores her, but I don't know if she remembers or not. Sometimes I feel like she does and other times she doesn't." She sighed. "I miss my family and it hurts having them so close but so far away. The story here is that I cheated on Henry after being high school sweethearts. Soph is still my daughter here but Mother won't let me look after her as Jacinda is a better role model for her and as she's with Henry, Soph is surrounded by a "normal functioning family". I get to see her every other weekend as I lost the custody battle according to their memories." More tears slipped down her face and Emma's heart broke for her.

Without thinking, Emma opened her arms and Ivy automatically leant into her embrace. "We'll save them," she murmured, "we always do. We'll have our family back before you know it."

The two stayed in their embrace for a little while, Emma didn't want to rush the other woman. It had clearly been a long time since she had been held like this. Emma knew what it was like to have a mother not be the woman you needed her to be. At that moment, Emma promised to take Ivy under her wing and protect her.

The moment was interrupted when Lennie ran over, holding a black crow on her hand. Ivy screamed quietly at the bird, clearly having had a previous bad experience with them. Lennie was confused but ignored the sound before she looked at her mother.

"Mr Crow says a storm is coming," she announced as if talking to a bird was the norm. "It's going to be upon us in the next twenty minutes."

Emma glanced up at the sky and saw that her daughter was right. An ugly, dark grey storm cloud was approaching from the east. She turned to Ivy. "I'd better get her home," she murmured before she glanced again between her daughter and Ivy and the crow. "Oh, Lennie can talk to animals. Even in the Land Without Magic, it seems she still has that gift."

Ivy nodded slowly, still frightened of the bird. "I'd better get home before my mother wonders where I am." When Emma went to asked, Ivy shook her head. "Now isn't the time." She reached into her bag and wrote her number on another index card. "Call me so I have your number and I'll keep you up to date with everything."

"Will do," Emma murmured as she slipped the card into her pocket. "Right, Lennie, time to go. Say goodbye to Mr Crow and to Ivy."

"Bye!" Lennie called cheerily to both and gently flicked her wrist, sending the bird on his way.

"Lovely to meet you, Elena," Ivy replied before she stood up and made her way home in the opposite direction to the blondes.

Throughout their walk, Lennie chewed her mother's ear off about her time in the park, which she clearly enjoyed. By the time they made it to their apartment block, the odd rain drops were starting to fall. They rushed into the building and into the lift, which Lennie was finding less scary now.

The seven-year-old was still chatting energetically to her mother as they reached their front door. Emma slipped the key in and allowed her daughter to enter first. For the first time in twenty minutes, Elena stopped talking for a second before asking, "Who are you?"

Emma looked up from shutting the door to see none other than the Dark One sitting at her kitchen table. He didn't look up at Emma, instead he concentrated on Lennie and said, "Hello, Dearie, I'm your grandfather."


	9. Chapter 9

The room was silent for a few beats, no one really knowing what to say until Lennie broke it.

"I've never had a grandfather before," she murmured softly as she took a few steps towards the table. She held her hand out politely. "I'm Elena."

Rumple smiled, actually smiled which impressed Emma as she'd never seen him do so before. "I'm Rumple," he greeted before taking Lennie's hand and shaking it politely.

Hearing his name, it seemed to click for Lennie. She took a seat beside him. "So, you're Grandma's old friend!"

Emma slowly walked over to the group at the table, completely baffled. She took a seat beside her mother, opposite her daughter.

"That is one word for us," Rumple replied to Lennie's comment. His lips looked like they wanted to twitch into a smile, but only a smirk emerged.

"Hold up," Emma said, breaking off the two's blossoming friendship. She glanced between Cora and Rumple before settling her eyes on the Dark One. "How are you awake? You definitely weren't when I saw you at Roni's."

"I wasn't, no," Rumple murmured. He glanced at Cora who looked impassive, not wanting to give anything away. "I needed to be woken. I had a plan for Alice to awaken me, but Cora got there first."

Emma glanced at her mother. "How did you know where he was? Why didn't you tell me what you were going to do?"

"You needed to meet Ivy," Cora shrugged before she stood up from the table. She walked over to her granddaughter. "Lennie, sweetheart, are you okay to watch some TV while I talk with your mom and grandfather for a while?"

Lennie looked like she was going to refuse but when she saw the silent request on her mother's face, she nodded. "Okaaaaay," she sighed, showing that she wasn't happy with it. "Can I have a snack at least?"

Cora chuckled before she nodded, Lennie was Emma's daughter after all. Unable to help it, Lennie smiled and headed to the fruit bowl and picked up a bright, shiny, red apple. She adored them, showing, again, how much she was like her other mother. With her apple in hand, she headed over to the sofa and put on the TV.

The adults were silent until Lennie selected what she wanted to watch, this time it was Shrek. Cora moved from the table and made the three of them a drink. Once she'd placed three steaming mugs of tea onto the table, she took a deep breath.

"When Lennie used the globe to find Regina and Henry, she also found Rumple," Cora began. "I knew what area he was in but not exactly. However," she glanced to Rumple who nodded before looking back at Emma. "Rumple magically built a subconscious in me to always be able to find him, no matter what form we were in. I knew we needed to find him to help us and it was time I told him the whole truth."

Emma sipped her tea as she listened to her mother. "But how did you wake him? How exactly did you find him?" She turned to Rumple. "How did you react when she told you?"

Cora took a deep breath before she started to retell the story of what had happened in the past few hours since she met Rumple. "Well…"

It turned out that Cora had followed her magical connection to Rumple and ended up at the police station, which hadn't surprised her after Emma had told her that he was now a police officer. She entered the station and asked to see Weaver as all she had was his name in this land, but she couldn't provide a reason when they asked her business. However, even in this land where no one knew her, no one ever said no to Cora. She put on her best glare and demanded to see him; she didn't need a reason. Needless to say, she was quickly shown to his office where a woman, who fit the description of the Victoria woman Emma had told her about, was just leaving.

Rumple had looked up at the auburn-haired woman with a confused look, as if he knew her, but couldn't remember where from.

"I don't appreciate people demanding their way into my office when I am busy," he'd sneered, wanting to intimidate her.

Naturally it didn't work, and Cora just rolled her eyes. Instead, she took a step towards him, leaning over his desk, looking him directly in the eye. There was a phrase swirling around her head that she knew she had never put there. As soon as she saw the Dark One, sitting in double denim of all things, she knew that was what she needed to say to him to break the curse.

"I'd like to spin straw into gold," she stated. She took a deep breath and waited.

For a few seconds, Weaver just looked confused and was about to get angry until there was a shift in his eyes. His eyes widened before narrowing and focussing on the woman in front of him.

"Cora," he breathed.

"Well, hello, Dearie," she replied with a lilt to her voice, imitating her arms in the signature Dark One's habit. "Did you miss me?" She smirked.

"How are you here?" He asked, his voice low. "You and Miss Swan disappeared?"

When Cora had first arrived in Storybrooke, she hadn't had many dealings with Rumple, both had preferred to keep their distance. Along with that, Cora hadn't wanted to interfere with his relationship with Belle, she did want the Dark One to be happy, she wasn't completely evil. They had simply agreed to keep peace with each other.

"We went to Wonderland," she replied before standing up straight. "Now, come along, we have much to discuss and I do not know who can overhear us in this office." Her disgust was evident, her lip curling slightly at the Dark One working as a cop, even if it was caused by a curse.

And with that, Cora headed to the door, expecting Rumple to follow her as he always did. Not a second later, he was beside her. For the entire walk back to her apartment, she kept quiet. Used to this behaviour, Rumple didn't even try to ask any questions, he simply followed.

Once they arrived, Cora made them some drinks and sat by the table.

"I don't even know where to start," she murmured. "I don't know if I should ask you how you're here or how the curse happened or tell you the truth and go from there."

The Dark One sighed. "Shortly after you and Emma left, Belle and I went travelling," Rumple began, choosing somewhere to start instead. "Long story short, she passed away a few years ago and I went on to find how to join her. That led me to Regina's resistance and because she needed my help and you know I can never say no to her, I got swept up in it all."

Cora shuffled in her seat but didn't say anything, wanting Rumple to continue.

"Then the curse happened. As for who cast it, I honestly couldn't tell you," he revealed and Cora gasped.

"I would have thought you'd know," she murmured. She knew he wasn't lying. They had come to a pact to never lie to each other no matter how ugly the situation became; they would always be truthful. She knew that whilst Rumple may bend the truth, right now he wasn't, they were both the purest either had ever been in their long friendship so far.

He sipped his tea and he frowned. "Gothel poisoned Henry's heart so that Regina, his fiancée or daughter couldn't be near him. I couldn't save him. The only solution was to cast a curse, but like I said, I do not know who did it. There are three possibilities. Drizella, or Ivy as she is known here, who is Henry's fiancée and mother to his daughter, and Regina are two. But their reasons were to save Henry but I can't help but think that they would have built something into it to save him so my thinking is that it was Gothel to prevent us from finding a cure, to curse us where there is no magic to ever save him."

The name of Gothel wasn't unfamiliar to Cora, they had met briefly in the past but never really had anything to do with each other. They both wanted domination but didn't want to go through the other for it. It had been a silent agreement that the other would be a last resort before going on their separate ways. Cora was regretting not doing something about her then if she knew that she would be the reason her grandson was hurt.

"It doesn't surprise me about Gothel," Cora sighed. "Horrible woman." She paused before slowly reaching out and squeezing Rumple's hand. "I am truly sorry about Belle though, my dear. I know how happy she made you."

Rumple smiled sadly and swallowed. "She lived a full life," he said. "It's just frustrating that I can't be with her anymore. Gideon is a professor at the Elphame Academy, so I never see him. He offered to rid me of my dagger, but I could never do that to him. The dagger cost me my relationship with Bae, I'm never going to repeat that with Gideon. While Henry doesn't remember, I have no family."

Again, Cora shuffled in her seat. "Actually, that's not quite true."

"What?" The Dark One's eyes flashed with something that Cora couldn't read.

She took a deep breath and bit her lip nervously. Glancing down, she realised that her hand was still resting on his. Slowly she retracted it and released her lip.

"Do you remember the night I gave you my heart?" She asked quietly.

"Why are you bringing this up?" His voice was low, a clear warning. "We agreed to never talk about that night when we promised never to lie to one another."

"I know–"

"Then why are you bringing it up?" He hissed, his shoulders hunching over as he tensed.

"Because it's important," Cora said adamantly. "I lied to you. The entire thing was a lie. I gave you my heart because it did belong to you and it was keeping me from being with Henry." She swallowed nervously but kept speaking while the Dark One wasn't interrupting. "The only way I could be with him was to remove my heart. I couldn't leave that life because I wanted to give my child the life of a princess and staying with you wouldn't have done that. I needed the wedding to happen quickly so that I could pass off my child as Henry's."

She hesitated after saying that and waited for the Dark One to add two and two together. It didn't take long.

"You were already pregnant?" He whispered. "The night in the tower?" Looking up, he met Cora's now watery eyes. She nodded. "Regina?" His voice broke as he uttered her name. Again, Cora nodded and swallowed nervously, waiting for his response.

Now everything made sense when it came to Regina.

His subconscious needed to always look out for her and help her whenever she needed it without hesitation. When she asked him to stay and help with the resistance, not a second went by that he wanted refuse. Even when it came to casting the Dark Curse, he offered her all the help he could so that it would be perfect, yes so that he could get to Bae, but also so that she wouldn't be physically hurt in the process.

"She's my daughter?" He asked.

"Yes," Cora whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't know how you'd react. I couldn't bear the idea of you taking her away from me."

"I'd never have done that," Rumple murmured. "All I wanted was for Milah to be there to help me with Bae. A child should never be without their parents. I would have raised her with you."

Cora was silent as she took in what he was saying. Out of all the scenarios she had thought during that time, simply being with Rumple and raising their daughter together never even occurred to her and she'd never felt so ashamed.

"We can't dwell on the past," she muttered. "Besides, if that had happened, we wouldn't have the grandchildren we have now."

Again, Rumple's brow furrowed in confusion. His head was starting to swim with all the new information he was being bombarded with. To say he'd shared his head with the past Dark Ones was nothing compared to this.

"We only have Henry?"

"We have a granddaughter too," Cora revealed. "She'll be here with Emma any time."

"Isn't Miss Swan's second child the spawn of the pirate?" Rumple asked. "How is she my granddaughter? Because she's related to Henry?"

At that, Cora couldn't help but chuckle. After all these years, Rumple still despised the Pirate, some wounds were too deep even for time to heal. At least some things would never change. She shook her head. "No. Believe it or not, Elena is Regina's daughter."

Rumple raised his eyebrow. "Actually, that doesn't surprise me. There has always been a connection between them. I hadn't realised they'd actually acted on it."

The two then shivered at unintendedly imagining their daughter sleeping with the blonde.

Silence then took over them as they both thought over everything that had happened in the past few hours. It felt like it had been days, but as he noticed the clock behind him, he saw that they had been together almost four hours. It felt like longer but shorter simultaneously with the heaviness of the conversation. So many thoughts were going through their heads and so many feelings.

For Rumple, it was the fact that he wanted to be angry at Cora for keeping the truth from him for all these years, but at the same time, he couldn't find the anger. Everything that had happened meant that he'd got his wish to see Bae again, even if he had died to save him. He'd gotten Belle, eventually, and then another son. Now he had a daughter, something he realised he'd always wanted but never admitted, and now had a granddaughter too. With all of that, he knew he should be furious, and he wanted to be, but he couldn't find it within himself. Too much water had gone under that bridge, but he did have regrets, he would never have pushed Regina so hard had he known that he was her father. But it was too late for that, all they could do was move forward; as a family.

However, before he could say anything, the door opened to reveal the other inhabitants of the apartment and it was the first time he saw his granddaughter and her beauty took his breath away. She looked a lot like Emma, her hair and body structure were the same as Emma's, she was tall and slim with beautiful golden hair, but her chocolate brown eyes were all Regina and as he looked at her, him. He had never noticed, but seeing Elena, he realised that she had the same eyes as him which would clearly mean that Regina had his eyes too.

Just like her mothers, she was a very curious child and not afraid to see a strange man sitting in her living room. Unable to help himself, he introduced himself as her grandfather. He'd felt Cora tense beside him but when Lennie came over and introduced herself, she calmed down.

Before long, Lennie was watching TV and the two were telling Emma everything that had happened that morning before Emma shared her tales about what Ivy had shared.

Rumple nodded along to what Emma was saying, adding extra information where he could. He mainly told them about the curse in Henry's heart. At first, Gothel had just cursed him against Regina, wanting to break the former Queen but then she took delight in torturing them, and wanted to appease Cinderella so that she cursed him against Drizella and Sophia too as Cinderella was furious at the sorceress for killing her father.

When Emma reported that Ivy believed that she had cast the curse, Rumple shared what he'd said to Cora about not believing that she was the sole caster, but they didn't know how to go about figuring it out.

Once all the information had been shared, Emma groaned. "So really, we have no further leads despite having so much more information and waking you up."

Rumple sighed. "Sadly not, but I can find out more now that I remember," he said. "I can still work with Victoria who I am sure is awake. She wanted to have the police department in her pocket and I'm in charge of that. I can work on her and she'll not notice."

Emma's brows furrowed. "Talking about that, did you help Victoria with banishing Zelena?"

"I did," Rumple said guiltily. "I told her she needed to leave."

"We need to get her back," Emma said adamantly. "Where is she? I can find her and bring her here." She paused and dulled her excitement. "So how do we wake her up? I'm guessing saying a phrase to her like you two won't work?"

Rumple shook his head. "Despite how close the two of you are, that will not work. However, I can try and make a memory potion but there isn't much magic here, I don't know how much we will be able to make. If it comes down to it, who would you prefer to wake up, Regina or Zelena?"

The decision was difficult to make. Cora and Emma kept changing their mind about who they should wake. However, they finally decided that it would be better to wake Zelena first. They didn't want to wake Regina with no clue how to save Henry and that would undoubtedly cause the brunette pain. At least with Zelena on their side too, they had more of a chance of finding a solution to the curse.

"We'll start making it tomorrow," Cora announced.

Once the decision had been made, Emma joined her daughter on the sofa and spent some time with her. Rumple ended up staying for dinner and Emma found she didn't mind his company. Having lost Belle, he was a lot calmer than he had been and had a better sense of humour. He was even cracking a few jokes with her. What she enjoyed the most was his and Lennie's interaction. She had already started calling him 'Grandpa' which made Rumple smile whenever he heard it and she was asking him many questions that only a seven-year-old could get away with. It was bizarre, but the evening had gone very well.

The next day, Cora was about to leave the apartment to join Rumple at the agreed place to start preparing the potion as best they could when Emma's phone buzzed. Looking down, she saw that she had been sent a message from Roni.

"Roni wants me to work this evening, will you be home by seven?" Emma asked.

Cora nodded. "I'll make sure of it." She crossed the room and bopped Lennie on her nose. "Can't be having our Len being left alone."

"Thanks," Emma murmured as she smiled. "Good luck with the potion."

"Thank you, dear." Cora kissed both Lennie and Emma on their foreheads before heading out.

Once the door had closed behind her grandmother, Lennie turned to her mother. "What potion?"

Emma tried not to roll her eyes. Her daughter really was far too curious for her own good sometimes. "Maths time!" Emma said to change the subject.

Lennie raised her eyebrow, looking scarily like Regina in that moment, but she made her way over to the kitchen table as Emma brought over the text book nonetheless.

For the next hour, Emma went through different sums with her daughter, allowing her to do some on her own before doing more difficult ones together. She was a natural.

When they took a break, Emma made them some drinks and a small snack of apple and Lennie used the break to her advantage.

"Why are Grandma and Grandpa making a potion?" She asked again.

Emma sighed as she joined her daughter. She knew she wouldn't stop asking until she got some sort of answer.

"We need to wake up your aunt from this curse," Emma replied eventually. "We need to find her and wake her."

Lennie considered the answer for a minute. "Why not wake up my other mom? I heard you tell Grandma that she's here. I want to meet her."

"I know you do, sweetie, I want you to meet her too," Emma revealed. "I just want you to meet your mother when she is your mother, not this other person."

"Then why do you want to wake Auntie Zee up before her?" Lennie asked, confused. "It makes no sense."

"It complicated, Len," Emma murmured as she ran her fingers through her hair. She loved how intelligent her daughter was, but sometimes it was difficult. "We need Zee's help with the whole curse and even though she'll be upset about what's happened to your brother, it won't take over her concentration, she'll be able to rationalise everything. Henry is everything to Regina and she won't be able to rest until she saves him which will exhaust her." She reached out and squeezed Lennie's hand. "I promise you, you will meet her one day and I hope that it will be soon, but not yet." Unsaid was the fact that Emma did not want Regina to hurt their daughter by being overtaken by her emotions for Henry, Emma knew all too well the hurt of being replaced by your own parents and she did not want that for Lennie, no matter how unintentional that hurt would be.

Elena's frown made Emma's heart break. She didn't say anything else as she picked up her pencil and carried on with her sums, not asking any further questions.

Later that evening, Cora returned with a smile. It seemed they'd managed to get the ingredients together and started making the potion. For most of it, science would work to create the potion. There were two magical elements needed, a pinch of fairy dust and an enchantment. The fairy dust was looking promising at it seemed the curse had brought over Rumple's stash of ingredients from the Enchanted Forest. The main issue they had was being able to cast the spell to give the potion what it needed to actually work.

"I'm sure we'll find something," Emma said as she put their dinner down on the table. That evening it was homemade mac and cheese with some steamed broccoli and carrots on the side so that there was something healthy so Cora didn't disapprove.

"We just need something powerful that will work," Cora sighed as she tucked in. "If we had magic here, we'd have no trouble. I mean, we have the Dark One, myself and the Saviour who's the product of True Love and a former Dark One. It should be enough."

A lightbulb then seemed to go off in Emma's head. "And the daughter of the latter and former Evil Queen," Emma said slowly. "I mean, Lennie's surely going to be ridiculously powerful when she's fully trained."

"That's it!" Cora gasped. "The four of us together should be able to get enough power. If we find a magical source in the city, I'm sure Rumple will know one, we'll have no issue! Emma, you're a genius."

Emma sassily flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Yep, not just a pretty face."

Cora chuckled before becoming serious again. "I'll tell Rumple tomorrow. The sooner we have this potion ready, the sooner we get one of my daughters back."

"Just not the one I want," Lennie murmured speaking for the first-time during dinner. Emma had thought she'd not been listening.

"Sorry?" Cora's brow furrowed as he took in her granddaughter. She glanced at Emma who was also frowning. "What have I missed?"

"I want to meet my other mom!" Lennie snapped. "I don't want Auntie Zee, I want my mom!"

And with that, Lennie slammed away from the table and rushed into her bedroom, leaving her grandmother and blonde mother behind feeling very confused and hurt.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma was halted at the table, completely baffled by her daughter's behaviour. "I tried to explain earlier when she was asking about Regina," she murmured quietly. "She dropped the subject, so I thought she'd understood. I guess not."

"She's just a child, Em," Cora said softly as she squeezed Emma's hand. "She'll understand one day."

The blonde sighed again before she too stood up from the table. She knew she needed to talk to her daughter before she headed to work and she was running out of time. With a sigh, she headed towards her daughter's room and knocked quietly.

"Lennie, can I come in?"

There was a muffled, "okay," before Emma headed into the room.

Lennie was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed and her head resting on her hands. Emma made her way over and took a seat beside her.

"What's running through your mind, honey?" Emma asked softly, trying to approach the topic gently.

The younger Swan sighed as she sat up and looked at her mother. "I just want to meet my other mom and know what she's like," she revealed. "I've heard you, Grandma and Auntie Zee talk about her so much and I just want to experience that too. Even Robyn's technically met her even though she was just a baby."

Unable to help it, Lennie shuffled sideways into her mother and Emma wrapped her arm around her, holding her close.

"I know exactly how you feel," Emma murmured. "I waited so many years to meet my parents, and I know you want to meet Regina, but you can't just demand to meet her, sweetheart." She pulled back from their embrace and looked at her daughter. "Your entire life I've done everything I can to protect you, care for you and be there for you like my parents weren't for me. It hurts for you to throw all of that in my face because you want to meet your other mother. I get it, I really do, and I want you to meet her, but you have to be patient."

Lennie blinked rapidly as tears sprung to her eyes at her mother's words. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I'm sorry too," Emma replied as she cupped her daughter's cheek softly, "about all of this. I wish I could go back in time and change everything, but I can't. We can only go forward."

Lennie then cuddled into her mother, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "I love you," she mumbled into her neck.

"I love you too, monkey," Emma replied. "More than anything. You know that, right?"

Lennie nodded. She was about to speak when there was a quiet knock on the door. The two Swans looked up to see Cora standing at the entrance to her granddaughter's room.

"If you don't eat now, you'll be late to work," she murmured.

Emma glanced down at her watch. "Damn." She looked to Lennie. "You ready to finish dinner?"

She nodded. "Sure."

The family headed back to the dinner table to finish their meal before Emma had to leave to go to work. She kissed her daughter and mother on the cheek, telling Cora that she would fill her in the next morning, before she headed out of the door.

She was rather nervous to be going back to work. The last time she saw Roni, the two had almost kissed but she had pulled back. She wasn't sure how the barmaid would act with her afterwards.

However, she needn't have worried. Not because Roni was cool with her, but because she wasn't even there.

When Emma turned up, Remy was setting up behind the bar and there were only a couple of people milling in the corners.

"There's no Roni tonight," Remy announced after Emma had put her jacket in the back. At the blonde's raised eyebrow, he continued. "Henry had to work last minute so she's looking after his daughter."

Emma nodded but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Despite how nervous she was feeling, she had been hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the other woman. Instead, she would have to wait a little longer.

The shift went down smoothly. Again, she saw no one she recognised. Neither Henry or Ivy arrived, which didn't surprise Emma as her son was apparently working and it wasn't the day for Ivy to have her daughter. The hours were disappearing quickly, which she was happy about.

As the bar wasn't that busy, she was able to have a couple of breaks where she checked her phone and saw a text from Cora saying that Lennie had gone to sleep around nine after telling her everything that had happened with her mother. Cora promised to tell Emma everything she'd said the next day. A further text said Cora had retired to bed at eleven.

When Emma took her break around one, an hour before the bar would close, she slipped her phone out again, despite knowing there would be no messages. Instead, she started looking though the photos on her phone, smiling as she saw one of Lennie from their day in the park. Elena was grinning brightly on the swing, her eyes bright and shining with joy, a laugh on her lips.

"I don't pay you to hang out on your phone," murmured a teasing voice behind her.

"Shit!" Emma gasped, the voice making her jump. Her phone slipped out of her hand and clattered to the floor.

Emma ducked to pick it up, but another got there first. However, instead of passing the phone back, Roni looked at the photo.

"I'm guessing this is your daughter," Roni said. Unable to help herself, she grinned, seeing the laughing girl. Glancing up, she saw Emma nod. "She's beautiful." She passed the phone back to her. "She looks just like you."

Roni blushed as she realised that she'd technically just called Emma beautiful too. The blonde's face flushed with warmth and her grew to a soft smile. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before slipping her phone into her pocket.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but my boss wouldn't approve," Emma joked with a wink. "I'd like to chat though, if you're around after we close?"

There was a pause and Emma thought Roni was about to decline until she smiled. "I'll think about it."

Before Emma could say anything, Roni slipped out of the room, leaving Emma alone.

For the rest of her shift, Emma tried to keep her mind off the brunette beauty, convincing herself that she wouldn't be seeing her again. It was two am, she deserved her beauty sleep.

After Remy announced that the bar was closed, they started clearing up as best they could. When it seemed like Roni wouldn't be joining them, Emma had to accept it. She went into the back to pick up her jacket before retuning to the main room.

However, as she entered, she saw Roni leaning back against the bar with two glasses beside her. Emma could recognise the liquid, it was whisky, neat.

Roni smirked as she saw Emma approach. "You look surprised."

"I thought you weren't going to show," Emma murmured as she went over and picked up one of the glasses. "I'm glad you did though." She perched beside the other woman, leaving a bit of a gap. "How's Sophia?"

"She's great," Roni grinned. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was last minute, and I can never say no to spending time with her. She's like my niece."

At that, Emma smiled, happy that Roni felt like she had a family connection to the girl, even though Sophia was technically her granddaughter. Though looking at her, she did not look old enough to be a grandmother.

"It's fine," Emma said softly. "The shift was pretty easy. I don't think I was rushed at any point. I just missed having you here too." The blonde bit her lip nervously, wishing she had her filter that wasn't currently working. She wanted to blame the drink, but it wasn't that at all. It was the fact that she always felt at ease with Regina.

The two were silent for a few moments, letting Emma's words sink in, while they sipped their drinks. Emma hadn't asked why whisky had been Roni's liquor of choice, but she didn't mind it.

"I listened to what you said the other night," Roni murmured, breaking the silence.

Emma glanced at the other woman and raised her eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I called my sister again," the brunette revealed. "She actually answered. She hasn't changed her number; she just ignored my last calls." She rolled her eyes. "But she's coming down and we're going to talk everything out and see where we go."

There was an excitement in Roni's voice that Emma already adored. It was clear that she was very close to her sister and had been upset that they'd fallen out, but Emma was also relieved that Zelena, well Kelly, would be coming to Hyperion Heights so she didn't have to trek all the way to San Francisco to find her.

"You look awfully chipper that my sister is returning?" Roni commented, naturally misunderstanding Emma's internal excitement.

"I'm just happy that you and your sister are going to be talking everything through," Emma said quickly. It was true, kind of. "Plus, look at you, if your sister is anywhere near as attractive as you, she's going to be a sight."

It didn't take long for Emma to realise that her attempt at distracting Roni from her true thoughts fell flat. Roni scowled and stood from the bar, leaning over it to pick up the whisky bottle. She filled her own glass up, a fair bit more than the first glass, and offered it to Emma whose glass wasn't yet empty. Nevertheless, Emma lifted her glass towards the bottle, allowing Roni to fill it up once more.

Once that was done, Roni still didn't speak, choosing instead to sip her drink.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quietly, closing the gap a fraction between them. "I didn't mean that. Well I meant the fact that you're beautiful, but not that I was hoping your sister would be too."

The barmaid's face flushed pink and Emma wasn't sure if it was from her compliment or from the strong alcohol. She really did look beautiful in the dim light of the bar, with her cheeks slightly pink, her eyes wide.

"I'm happy you're reconnecting with your sister," she continued, trying to defuse the tension. "From what I've seen recently, you really are amazing. You deserve to be happy." She glanced down at her feet, embarrassed that she'd let that slip. Clearly the whisky was a lot stronger than she thought, perhaps that was why Roni had chosen it.

When she looked up again, she realised that Roni had moved closer to her, her once more empty glass was on the table. Their hips were so close Emma could feel the heat radiating off her and it made her body tingle with excitement. They were in that position again and Emma knew all she had to do was turn a fraction and their lips would meet. She wanted it so badly but when her body started to move, she felt herself pulling back instead of going forward.

Roni sighed, disappointed, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, but am I reading the signals wrong?"

Emma laughed quietly. "No, god no." She finished her drink and put it down on the bar beside Roni's glass. "There's nothing more I want than to kiss you." There was no point being coy, she wanted Roni to know what she was thinking. "There are just things getting in the way that mean I can't. Not yet anyway."

"Elena's other mother, I presume?" As always, Roni was right though not in the way she realised.

"Pretty much," Emma murmured. "There are things I need to sort out with her first before anything can happen." She reached out and took hold of Roni's hands in hers, unable to ignore the feeling that they fit together. Her thumbs automatically started stroking the soft skin. "I want something to happen, don't get me wrong, but not yet." She let go of her hands gently. "I'd better go."

Roni nodded, still frowning slightly. Emma stepped forward and pressed her lips softly against Roni's cheek, trying to ignore the brunette's sigh of contentment or the way her lips buzzed with excitement against her cheek.

"Can you come in the day after tomorrow for the afternoon shift?" Roni asked as she stepped back, wanting to change the subject. "It's usually pretty empty but I have to look after Sophia again and Remy has another job to go to."

"Just tell me when," Emma replied with a smile, "and I'll be there."

And with that, she pulled her jacket over her shoulders and she left, unable to help glancing back as she reached the door. The sight broke her heart. Roni was leaning on the bar with her face in her hands. Guilt ripped through her body it was almost painful, but she had to break the curse before she could be with either Regina or Roni. With a heavy heart, she slipped out of the door and into the night.

oOoOo

As simple as it had been to accept Roni's request to work the afternoon shift the day after tomorrow, it was proving to be just the opposite.

Emma had asked Cora if she could look after Lennie while she was at work, forgetting that Rumple had already taken the afternoon off from work to work on the potion and as he'd had to pull too many strings to get the afternoon off, he couldn't change it. It would also be far too dangerous for Lennie to be around her grandparents while they were creating. She wasn't old enough to start potion making in her magic training.

That only left one solution. Emma would have to take Lennie to work with her. She didn't mind that, knowing she could let her sit at the end of the bar and do some work or read, it was just in case Roni walked through as Emma wasn't sure if she would be going to Sophia or the other way around.

She sighed after the conclusion came to her. Cora rested her hand on her back gently.

"It'll be fine," she murmured. "I know we both said to Lennie it would be better that she met Regina as herself and not Roni, but we can't help how things turn out. At least she gets to meet her."

"I know," Emma replied. "I just didn't want it to be like this."

The blonde hadn't told her mother about the second conversation she and Roni had had about wanting something to happen, she knew her mother would be against it. Instead, she just told her that Kelly was coming back to talk things through with Roni, so it meant they didn't have to trek up to San Francisco. Rumple had already been informed and he was also glad that it made things easier.

"Want me to stay while you tell her?" Cora offered, glancing at the clock. She was due to leave any minute.

Emma shook her head. "No, you go meet Rumple and I'll tell her. It'll be fine."

Cora nodded. She left the blonde at the table and headed to the sofa were Lennie was reading. She bid her granddaughter goodbye before leaving.

"Len, come here for a sec, please," Emma requested.

Slightly confused, Lennie put her book down and headed over. Usually Emma was pretty strict when it came to her learning. She wouldn't interrupt unless it was important.

"What's up?" Lennie asked as she took a seat beside her mother.

"I have to go to work this afternoon," Emma revealed. "As Grandma has gone out, she can't look after you which means you'll be coming to work with me."

"Okay?" The girl was still rather confused. She'd never gone to work with her mother before and she thought she never would because that was where her other mother was and Emma had been clear that she wasn't meeting her yet.

Emma sighed as she tried to word what she wanted to say correctly. "I'm just warning you in case Roni, well Regina, comes through the bar with your niece. There's a chance she will and I need to know you'll be okay with that?"

"She won't know who I am?"

"No, honey," Emma said softly. She still didn't have the heart to tell her daughter that even Regina wouldn't really know who she was. "She knows you're my daughter, which is true," she bopped her daughter on the nose to make her giggle and lighten up the conversation, "but she doesn't know you're also her daughter. In this world, it's not possible for two women to have children together, but I'll tell you more about that when you're older. A lot older."

Emma shivered at the idea of giving her daughter the talk on the birds and the bees. She prayed that Regina would be back to take over, as she had been the one to give Henry the talk when he was twelve. Emma had simply stayed in the background and nodded to Regina's words, not able to say anything further. Regina had scolded her afterwards, but Emma hadn't cared at the time, there were bigger fish to fry, like Peter Pan.

"I'll be okay," Lennie promised and Emma smiled in pride at her daughter. She truly was perfection.

Before long, Emma and Lennie were walking through the streets of Hyperion Heights. Emma was carrying a backpack with some things in to keep Lennie distracted while she worked.

Once the two arrived, Emma saw that the place was dead, not yet opened. She set Lennie up at the end of the bar, working on some maths first. She instructed her that if she was stuck to leave it until Emma could come over and help. The blonde also gave her daughter some orange juice and told Lennie to just let her know when she was thirsty.

"I've got this, Mom," Lennie sassed, rolling her eyes, making Emma laugh.

"Good, because here comes the first customer," she replied as the door opened.

For the first two hours, Emma was able to spend most of her time with Lennie as there were only three older men in who had order a pint and then sat in the far corners away from each other. One came for a top up after an hour before settling into his corner.

In actual fact, Emma was rather relieved that Lennie was there to keep her company, otherwise she would have been very bored. However, that turned a little sour just after four when the front door opened and Roni stepped through with a young brunette on her hip. Even if Emma hadn't known that the girl was already Sophia, it would have been easy to guess.

Sophia looked a lot like Ivy, she was slender with slightly tanned skin, not far off Roni's. She had short, thick chestnut brown hair that was bone straight, clearly something inherited from Ivy as Henry had inherited his father's permanently messy hair, not Emma's natural curls like Lennie. Her eyes were bright green which were the exact replica of Henry and Emma's. Just looking at her, people would be able to see that she and Emma were related, Emma just hoped that Roni wouldn't see it at that moment.

However, the barmaid's eyes were fixed on the other blonde at the bar.

"I hope you're not serving to minor," Roni joked, smirking.

At the new voice, Lennie's head snapped up and for the first time in her life, she saw her other mother. The pencil in her hand slipped through her fingers and bounced on the floor, completely forgotten.

"Nope," Emma replied quickly. She rushed over to pick up Lennie's fallen pencil and wrapped her arm around her daughter, hoping it would give her some support, she could clearly use it. "This is Elena, my daughter," Emma introduced. "Len, say hi to Roni." She put a slight emphasis on the brunette's name, not that she noticed, so that it would affirm to Lennie that this woman was technically not her mother.

"Hi, Roni," Lennie mumbled as she held out her hand.

Roni shuffled Sophia in her arms so she could shake Lennie's hand. "It's lovely to meet you," she replied. "This is Sophia," she gestured to the girl in her arms. "Soph, this is Emma and this is Elena."

"Lennie," the young blonde interjected. "Everyone calls me Lennie."

Roni chuckled. "Lennie," she corrected before looking back at Sophia. "Are you going to say hi?" Sophia shook her head and hid into Roni's neck. "She's a little shy with new people."

Emma nodded with understanding; she couldn't blame her with everything going on with her parents. Instead, she chose not to focus on it. "Would you two like a drink?"

"What do you say, Soph?" Roni asked sweetly and Emma's heart was struggling to cope with how sweet and kind Roni was with her granddaughter. Children were clearly the Evil Queen's downfall.

Slowly, Sophia moved from Roni's neck and looked at the blondes. She saw Lennie's half-drunk orange juice and smiled. "Orange juice, please?" She requested.

"Coming right up," Emma said. "Roni?"

"I'll just have a soda for now, it's too early to drink," she replied, throwing Emma's statement from the other day back at her, making her laugh.

Lennie watched how her mothers interacted. Even when Roni didn't remember, she could see there was something there. Sure, she was seven, almost eight, but she wasn't stupid. Plus she'd overheard her grandmother telling her mother not to go there, wherever there was, but seeing them now, she knew her mother should ignore everything her grandma had said.

Once their drinks were made, Roni gently put Sophia down on the floor so she could get their drinks. "We're going to sit in the back booth," she said before turning to Lennie. "Do you want sit with us while your mom works?"

At first, Emma wanted to say no because she truly was bored and without Lennie there, she'd probably go a bit crazy, but she could see the excitement in her daughter's eyes at the chance to sit with her mother. She could never say no to that.

She looked at her daughter and nodded making Lennie cry with delight. "Sure!"

Lennie packed up her books and Emma slipped her bag behind the bar and watched as Lennie carefully carried her orange over with Roni and Sophia.

Despite thinking she would be bored without her daughter, her new entertainment became watching how Lennie interacted with Roni and Sophia. She fit herself in like she was meant to be there, and really, she was. They even looked like family, but perhaps that was only to Emma because she knew they were.

After an hour or so, after Emma had finished her biggest round of the afternoon (a whole three drinks!) she looked up and saw Roni standing behind the bar.

"Top up?" Emma asked and Roni nodded.

"Lennie asked for a coke, if that's alright?"

"She can have one for now," Emma said before chuckling, "otherwise she'll be running around the place like a loon."

Roni laughed at picturing the girl doing so. The two were broken off when there was a loud peal of laughter coming from where the two girls were sitting.

"I've never seen Sophia so animated," Roni revealed as she watched them interact. "Lennie is clearly bringing her out of her shell." She turned back to Emma. "She really is wonderful, you did well in raising her."

"She's the best thing in my life," Emma said before looking at Roni in the eye. "We just need someone to complete our family."


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as the words left Emma's lips, she regretted it. She could see the conflict in Roni's beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quickly. "I shouldn't have said that. It was horrible to say something like that."

"Emma," Roni murmured quietly, trying to stop the blonde from talking. However, it didn't work as she continued to ramble.

"After everything I said the other day and stuff that's happening, it's not fair on you and–"

"Emma!" Roni cried, this time cutting the blonde off completely. "I get it, I do," she said, bringing the volume down again, realising some of the customers had turned to look at them. "We'll figure something out. Well I hope so." She reached out and squeezed Emma's hand and took a deep breath. Her thumb started tracing light patterns on Emma's hand making her skin tingle deliciously. "Because I like you, Emma, and I want something to happen." She swallowed nervously. "I know we've only just met, but it feels like we've known each other for years. Like there's a connection," she flushed at her words. Usually, she'd have at least two drinks before she could say anything like this but clearly Emma brought out the sap in her. "I want to see it through."

However, before Emma could respond, which she really wanted to, though with what, she didn't know, the door opened to reveal Cora and Rumple.

At Emma's glance to the door, Roni followed her gaze. "Huh, would you look at that? Weaver's got a girlfriend." There was something in Roni's tone that made Emma freeze. Did Roni recognise Cora?

"That's not Weaver's girlfriend," Emma said softly which made Roni turn around. "That's my mother."

"Oh, sorry!" She spluttered. "I didn't mean to offend."

Emma chuckled and waved her off, finally pulling her hand away from underneath Roni's. "It's fine." She then passed the other woman the drinks she'd made. "Though I think you should probably get back to the girls before they start causing havoc. Lennie is up to something, I'd know that face anywhere."

Roni looked over and saw that Lennie was smirking as she spoke to Sophia. Emma had seen that face whenever Lennie and Robyn, well mostly Robyn, had planned a prank against their mothers. They never went against Cora because she always knew what would happen, especially after Robyn gave her magic to her mother and persuaded Lennie to use hers, the matriarch would always return their prank back on them. Part of Emma was happy to see her daughter smirking like that again after not seeing it in so long with Robyn gone, but the other part was worried about what she was planning.

Roni nodded, but her face was impassive, clearly not wanting to share her thoughts. Emma couldn't blame her. She had literally put all her cards on the table for Emma to completely disregard them, however unintentional it had been with the new arrivals.

"Want me to send Lennie over to sit with her grandmother?" Roni asked, changing the subject.

"No, she can stay with you, if you want?" Emma replied. "She's having a blast with the both of you. I've not seen her this excited and happy in a while."

Finally, Roni smiled softly. "She can stay with me as long as she likes."

Without waiting for Emma to respond, the barmaid picked up the three glasses with ease and headed back over to the girls. She had just sat down when Cora and Rumple finally made their way over to the bar.

"What's going on over there?" Cora asked, instead of greeting the blonde.

"They're hanging out," Emma replied with a shrug. She didn't bother asking them what they wanted to drink; she already knew Cora's tipple of choice, a gin and slimline tonic, and Roni had said Rumple, well Weaver, favoured a scotch. She got to making their drinks and handing them over.

Cora sipped her drink with a smile as it was perfectly made before frowning a little. "How has Lennie coped with it all?"

"Better than I thought," Emma said softly. She glanced at her daughter who was still giggling away with Roni and Sophia. "She's having fun and I didn't want to interrupt that and Roni loves her, clearly, so it's fine."

Before they could say anything else, the Friday five o'clock rush hit and Emma was rushed off her feet for the next hour, getting everyone's drinks and snacks as requested. In that time, Cora and Rumple headed to the corner and had their heads together. Though as Emma looked over, she saw that Rumple had is arm around the woman as she glanced in the corner. In that moment, Emma realised how difficult it must be for her, for both of them, to be in the same room as their daughter and her not remember. She could see the pain clear as day on her face.

The rush seemed to calm down a fraction at half six and Emma saw a familiar face enter through the door. The woman headed across to the bar and smiled at Emma.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, Ivy," Emma replied before nodding in the back corner. "Roni is over there with Sophia if you're looking for her."

Ivy glanced in the corner and beamed. "It seems Lennie and Sophia are already getting on like a house on fire," she realised as she saw the two laughing. "You can tell they're family already. It's ridiculous."

Emma smiled sadly. "Only if you know they are though, Roni has no clue."

"I suppose," Ivy murmured. "I'd better get Soph and go home before my mother drops in and says I'm a terrible mother…again."

At that, Emma reached out and squeezed Ivy's arm. "It'll be okay." She smiled. "Why don't you and Sophia come over tomorrow before she has to go back to Henry's? The girls will be able to spend some more time together and we can talk about, well, you know."

Ivy considered it for a moment before nodding. "Sure," she replied.

Emma gave the other woman her address and they agreed a time before Ivy bid her goodbye and went to the corner of the bar to pick up her daughter. Not ten minutes later, Ivy was carrying her daughter out of the pub, pausing at the door to wave goodbye to Emma.

Shortly after, Ivy had left, Roni appeared back at the bar. Emma glanced around and couldn't see her daughter and automatically started to panic.

"She's with her grandmother," Roni said quickly and pointed to the corner.

Looking over, Emma saw Lennie sitting beside Cora, chatting away with both Cora and Rumple listening and grinning.

"Thank you for looking after her," Emma sad after her heart slowed down from her brief fright. "You didn't have to."

"She's amazing," Roni gushed. "I am more than happy to look after her. She's so funny and sassy, it's brilliant."

Emma couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "Yeah, she's like her other mom that way," she murmured, unable to help her inside joke. At Roni's frown, she quickly changed the subject. "What were she and Sophia talking about?"

"Animals mostly," Roni said, surprised Emma thoroughly. "Lennie was saying she could talk to animals which Sophia was loving. She'll be a great story teller when she's older."

"Yeah." Emma bit her lip, not wanting to laugh at the fact that Roni couldn't be more right if she tried. However, now was not the time. "She's always had a way with animals. She wants a dog, but my apartment is too small."

Roni smiled before glancing at her watch. "Your shift is almost up."

"It is," Emma affirmed. "Are you taking over?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, Remy should be here in five. I'm going to pick Kelly up from the airport in half an hour."

"Good luck," Emma said. "Let me know how it all goes?"

Roni nodded. "Course."

The two chatted aimlessly for the remaining part of Emma's shift until Remy arrived and took over. Once she was officially free, Emma stepped into the back room to grab her coat and realised that Roni had followed her.

"I hope it all goes well," Emma said as she slipped her jacket on. "If you need me, just call me and I'll be right over."

"You don't have to," Roni murmured as she blushed.

Emma reached out and cupped her cheek. "I want to." She leant forward and kissed her cheek softly before making her way to the door. Just before she walked through, she turned back to the other woman who hadn't move. "Oh, Roni?"

"Yeah?"

"I like you too." The blonde winked before practically strutting out of the room.

She made it to her family still sitting in the corner. Cora and Rumple had finished their drinks and Lennie's was practically empty.

"Mommy!" Lennie greeted happily, standing up and hugging her mother. "I can't believe how amazing Mom is and she's so pretty and so funny! I had the best day ever. Thank you for bring me to work with you!"

Emma held onto her daughter and looked up at Cora completely baffled. She wasn't expecting her to be quiet so happy about meeting the woman who had no idea who she was.

"I'm glad you had a good afternoon, monkey," Emma said. She cuddled her daughter and kissed her on her head. She released her slowly before slipping into the booth after realising Cora and Rumple weren't planning on leaving just yet. "Even better, Zelena is currently on her way. Roni has managed to persuade Kelly to come back. She's coming tonight so what's the status of the potion?"

Cora smiled and glanced at Rumple who nodded. "It's done," she revealed. "Well as much as we can do without the spell but just as it happens, tonight is the first full moon of Autumn, we have that power behind us."

"There is a place near here where the moon will hit at about nine o'clock," Rumple added, speaking in a hushed tone so no one could overhear them. "It's hidden and has a reference to the Enchanted Forest. I know it'll be a bit late for Lennie, but it's our best chance."

Emma turned to her daughter. "What do you say? Think you can stay up a little longer to help me and your grandparents out?"

At the chance to stay up later, Lennie grinned. "Sure!"

"Great," Cora murmured. "Well let's get home and have some dinner so we're all alert before casting the spell."

The family shuffled out of the booth and into the night. Emma glanced over her shoulder, hoping to catch sight of a pair of chocolate eyes but they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she took hold of her daughter's hand and followed Rumple and Cora back to the apartment.

Once they arrived, Emma automatically headed to the kitchen and allowed Cora to have a night off cooking. She had no idea what Rumple's likes and dislikes were, so she tried to base them on what Neal had enjoyed and hoped for the best.

While Emma cooked, Cora allowed Lennie to choose whatever she wanted to watch on TV while she and Rumple chatted about how to go about securing the area for the spell. Naturally they didn't want anyone to interrupt but they also couldn't magically block it off.

After twenty minutes of prep and another thirty minutes of cooking, Emma had prepared homemade burgers with homemade wedges with some corn on the cob and salad to appease Cora's need for greens. The family sat around the table and dug in.

"This is yummy, Mom!" Lennie complimented with a large grin on her face.

As Emma tasted the burger, she too had to give herself an imaginary pat on the back. Despite not cooking for so long in Wonderland, she though she'd have lost the knack for it, but clearly not. She cooked all the time when she was in Storybrooke, she had to make sure that Hook was fed the way he wanted, which unsurprisingly included a lot of fish which she herself didn't particularly enjoy but went along with for his sake. Along with that, she had to make sure she was providing Henry with meals of which Regina would approve, meaning she couldn't keep feeding him pizza whenever he asked for it.

"Yes, it is rather delicious," Cora added. "What made you think of burgers? You've not made them before?"

Emma smiled a fraction as she glanced at Rumple. "They were Neal's favourite," she revealed. "I didn't know what you liked, Rumple, so I had to guess."

"I'm touched," he murmured softly. He hadn't known that his son's favourite food was burgers even though it was such a trivial fact. In fact, there were many things about him that he didn't know. He hoped with getting to know Emma a little better with her being the mother to his granddaughter, and grandson, he would be able to find out more snippets about his son, as well as her.

Not quite sure how to reply, Emma simply smiled again before digging back into her food.

After the meal, Cora insisted on clearing the pots while Emma relaxed. However, she chose instead of watching TV with Lennie and Rumple, to go have a shower and wash work off her. She also wanted to perk up ready for the spell casting. In a place with no magic, or very little magic, she knew it was going to be a lot more difficult than she was used to and she didn't want to be half asleep for it.

She washed her hair, giving herself a short head massaged as she lathered up the shampoo before quickly washing her body and face. Once she was done, she dried herself down and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a soft jumper as the weather was starting to cool.

Once redressed, she blow-dried her hair before returning to her family in the living room. By now, Cora had finished the dishes and had joined the other two on the sofa. With a quick glance, Emma saw they were watching some David Attenborough animal programme to pass the time. She slipped into the room and sat beside her daughter.

As soon as she sat down, Lennie turned to her mother. "What's going on later?"

Emma looked up at Cora, silently asking her why she hadn't filled the young blonde in.

"We were waiting for you," Cora said in way of an explanation.

"Oh," Emma muttered before turning back to her daughter. "You know we were saying the other day that we were going to wake up Auntie Zee, but we needed a potion to do it?" Lennie nodded. "Well Grandma and Grandpa have finished the potion, but we need a spell to finish it off."

"But there's no magic here," Lennie said, confused.

"I know," Emma agreed. "But the four of us have very strong magic. We're hoping that the combined power of our magic will work here. Grandpa knows of a place where there is a source of it. We'll cast the spell and hopefully it'll work and we'll have a memory potion to give to Zee when she arrives."

"Three potions," Cora added. "We managed a couple more for backup in case the first doesn't work."

Emma nodded. "Well however many there are. What spell is it?"

Rumple then went onto explain what the spell was and what they would need to do. There wouldn't be any chanting, just a case of imagination.

Once everything had been explained, Lennie nodded before cuddling into her mother's side and going back to watching the TV as a family of chimpanzees appeared on the screen making her grin happily.

Shortly before nine o'clock, they all slipped on their shoes and jackets before Rumple led them to a rather large statue of a troll underneath a bridge.

Emma glanced up at it, completely baffled. "A troll?" She asked. "Really?"

Rumple nodded. "It came to Alice when she needed it."

At the name, Emma's head tilted in curiosity. "Is she blonde and the apparent daughter of Hook?"

Again, Rumple nodded. "Yes, but not your Hook, a different one." Emma shivered at hearing the pirate being referred to as hers. That he hadn't been for a very long time. "Sorry," Rumple murmured, realising his mistake. "However, now is definitely not the time to be discussing that slime ball."

At that, Emma's frown broke out into a grin. She now didn't mind in the slightest about the Dark One insulting the onehanded pirate. "Right, so how are we doing this?"

Rumple nodded the right arm of the troll. "We need to get up there. The moon will hit in ten minutes, so we need to be quick."

Emma nodded and braced herself. She climbed up the troll's hand first until she was resting on his backhand. It was then her job to pull the others up. Lennie was the easiest as she was small. Rumple lifted her as high as he could before Emma took over. Cora was next with Rumple helping her as best he could before Emma took over.

Finally, Rumple managed to climb halfway up before Emma pulled him up the rest of the way. Once everyone was up, Emma leaned over to regain her breath.

"I am not as young as I once was!" She gasped, making the others laugh before becoming serious.

Rumple slipped the three clear phials out of his pocket and rested them on the floor. He looked to the others. "Are you ready?"

They nodded before stepping forward to the bottles in a circle. Rumple placed his right hand out first with Cora resting hers atop his with Emma and Lennie following suit. They then repeated their actions with their other hands just as the beam of moonlight hit their combined hands and illuminated them.

"Go," Rumple murmured and the four of them shut their eyes and concentrated as hard as they could on the spell.

At first, nothing seemed to happen and Emma started to feel very foolish until she felt that familiar tingle in her hands. There was then a heat pushing down on her left hand that grew before pushing through her palm. Ten seconds later, the heat was spreading through her right hand underneath. Feeling it was safe to, she opened her eyes a fraction and saw their hands were engulf in a rainbow of light, as the different colours of their magic weaved together to finish the spell.

Underneath them, the bottles started to quake as the magic flew from their hands into the open top. For a solid two minutes, the magic flowed through their hands and into the bottles. They sparked a bright ruby red before returning back to clear.

"It's done," Rumple announced as he started to pull his hands away. The others followed and returned their hands to their sides as he leant down to pick up the phials. He lifted one to his eye to inspect before he nodded. "It worked!"

"Emma, you're a star," Cora gushed, paying her daughter a well-deserved compliment.

"Indeed, Dearie," Rumple affirmed before looking at Lennie. "We definitely couldn't have done it without you. I don't think there would have been quite enough energy with the three of us."

Lennie smiled before she yawned. It was already much past her bedtime and she had exhausted a lot more magic than she probably ever had.

"Mom, I'm tired," she said, confirming Emma's thoughts.

"Let's get you home, monkey."

Getting back down from the troll's hand was a little harder than Emma thought it was going to be. The jump was a fraction too big to land softly. She wished she still had enough magic to poof them home but when she jokingly suggested it, Rumple shook his head.

"There's not enough magic for that," he said sadly. "Believe me, I've tried."

With that option down the drain, Emma carefully slipped down the front before jumping to the bottom. Lennie was the next over before she jumped to land in Emma's arms. Cora and Rumple followed, lacking the usual grace they had. Cora slipped towards the bottom and Rumple caught her just in time. The force of her face brought her very close to Rumple, their noses barely a centimetre apart, and even in the dim light of the moon, Emma saw her mother's face blush.

_Interesting,_ she thought to herself. When it seemed the two weren't going to pull back, Emma coughed quietly to interrupt them.

The two quickly pulled away from each other after realising they had been caught and Rumple made his leave, but not before slipping two of the phials into Cora's bag. Emma and Cora bid him goodbye before setting off in the opposite direction.

For their walk home, Emma picked Lennie up as she was falling asleep as she walked. She was a little heavy, but it was the best solution. Once they arrived home, Emma manged to change her daughter into her pjs before she pressed a kiss to her forehead and slipping out of the room.

Once she entered the living room, she saw Cora making herself a glass of raspberry cordial, her favourite to drink at night. Emma was about to tease her mother about her moment with Rumple, but Cora, as always, was one step ahead of her.

"You know, I think I'm going to follow Lennie's example and head to bed," she murmured, finishing the statement with a yawn so that Emma couldn't say anything about what had happened. "I am absolutely exhausted."

"Goodnight, Mom," Emma replied softly with a smile, knowing that her mother had seen right through her.

"Night, Dear," Cora said before she headed down the corridor to her bedroom.

Once she was alone, Emma repeated Cora's actions in making herself a drink. She leant against the cupboards and took a sip of her squash, enjoying the taste. She sighed to herself and realised that she was also pretty tried. Pushing herself off the counter, she started to make her way to her room and head to bed herself when she felt her phone in her pocket start to buzz.

Slipping it out, she saw it was Roni calling. Panic rushed through her body as she placed her glass down. She swiped her phone to connect the call.

"Roni, is everything okay?" Emma asked.

"No, no it's not," Roni replied, her voice thick with tears. "I hate to ask so late, but can you come over?"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Emma promised.

She hung up the call before crossing the room to where Lennie's school things were kept. She found a spare sheet of paper and wrote a quick note in case she wasn't back by the morning before she put her jacket back on and slipped out of the door.

If she hadn't been so exhausted from the spell casting and late night, she probably wouldn't have let the night unfold how it did, but then she just didn't care.

_A/N: Ooh what's going to happen when Emma sees Roni? Let me know your guesses! _

_Also, a big thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed this story so far, it means so much! Love, Emss x_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: just a heads up with a trigger warning for a discussion of domestic abuse in this chapter. Sorry in advance if anyone is uncomfortable._

Upon entering the pub not fifteen minutes later, Emma was met with a tearstained Roni waiting by the bar. The woman was silent as she held out her hand for Emma to take before leading her upstairs to her apartment.

The apartment itself was smaller than hers Emma noticed and a little darker, but now was not the time to be gawking around Roni's home, especially when the woman was clearly upset. On the table, Emma saw the same bottle of whisky they'd been drinking the other night when Roni had announced that she had spoken to her sister. The blonde eyed it nervously, knowing that barely a glass of the strong beverage would be enough to inebriate her with how exhausted she was.

Roni pulled her to the sofa, their hands still locked together, before she used her free hand to pour them around three fingers depth of liquor. Finally, she let go of the blonde's hand so that she could hold her own drink and pass Emma hers too.

"To family," Roni cheered bitterly.

Emma raised her glass and took a sip, pulling a face at the sharp taste. Placing the glass back down on the table, she turned to the brunette. "What happened?"

Roni laughed humourlessly. "You mean what didn't happen," she said, hiccupping a fraction, indicating that she was already a little, if not rather drunk. "We got nowhere. I picked her up from the airport and we travelled back in silence. I pulled up here and we came upstairs and poured ourselves a drink. I even brought her favourite up from the bar," she nodded to the bottle on table, "hoping that we could start over, but it wasn't to be. She still so spiteful because Margot still hasn't come back and barely contacts her mother and she blames me for it all. This time she didn't just call me names and blame me, but she brought up things from our past too. About our mother especially."

Emma tensed as Roni mentioned her mother. The brunette picked up her whisky, taking a few large sips before sighing.

"Our mother wasn't a very loving woman," Roni began and already the story sounded like Cora in the past. "She gave Kelly up for adoption because she wasn't married to her father and then she married my father and had me but he died when I was young. Mother changed her mind when Kelly was ten, I was eight, and asked for her back. God knows how she managed it, I thought it wasn't a thing, but mother, Barbara, had a way with people. She could always get them to do what she wanted. Anyway, Kelly was back and she was resentful of me because Mother kept me and treated me like a princess."

A few more sips were taken and Roni's glass was once again almost empty, but Emma didn't think it was wise to keep filling her with alcohol so she subtly nudged the bottle away from the brunette.

"Anyway," Roni continued, "she brought all of that up again which wasn't my fault. I never asked for Mother to keep me. She died a few years ago and her death brought Kelly and I closer together because we were both devastated. She got better and kinder as she got older. We opened this place with the money she left us. Margot was about sixteen at the time and she was twenty-two when she left. She's an adult, but Kelly still doesn't see that. She doesn't want to even though she's been gone almost two years now. I don't know why she bothered coming down here if she still wasn't ready to make up."

At that, Roni let the tears fall once more and Emma's heart broke at the sight. She'd seen Regina cry only a handful of times: when her mother died the first time, when Robin died, when Henry was taken by Pan and when Henry left to go travelling. However, she still hated seeing it.

On instinct, she shuffled closer and wrapped her arms around her, pulling the brunette into her. Roni's body shook with sobs as she clung onto the blonde.

"There's another reason my sister hates me," Roni mumbled quietly into Emma's neck before she pulled back. "I knew I was gay from a young age, or at least attracted to women but when I was sixteen, I met this woman who was breathtakingly beautiful. She was tall, blonde and had dazzling green eyes." Emma swallowed as Roni described her, but surely this had to be a different person because Emma hadn't met sixteen-year-old Regina. "She was called Alyssa, just turned twenty, and we hit it off right away." Roni smiled at her story. "We started hanging out and I was falling for her pretty quickly. Everything about her confirmed my attraction to women. She was my first too, I gave everything to her one evening after a moonlit stroll and she took me back to her apartment and we made love. Everything seemed perfect." The brunette's smile then turned sour. "But one evening, Kelly came home and wanted to introduce us to her new girlfriend. Imagine my surprise when Alyssa walked in with her."

Emma's eyes widened in shock. She had wondered where Roni's story was going but she never expected this to happened. Whoever had cast the curse had really done their homework with casting a back story for all of these characters. With Regina's curse, they couldn't remember their pasts at all. As much as she didn't want to insult Ivy's magic, she doubted she would have been up to the task of creating something this intense if she'd only been magically trained for a couple of years.

"What happened?" Emma asked, wanting to get her mind off the curse and back onto the story Roni was telling.

"I had to pretend I'd never met her," Roni continued. "I'd never seen Kelly so happy even though I had no idea she was even into women, but I didn't want to get in her way, but she saw through me, she always can." She sighed. "After Alyssa left, Kelly came into my room and demanded to know why I had been acting so odd during dinner and I confessed that I knew Alyssa. I said I thought we had been dating and confessed that we'd slept together. Kelly had laughed and thought I was lying until the next day when she called Alyssa out on it and she admitted that it was true and that she wanted to be with me. It brought up so much of our pasts with Mother choosing me over her. Their relationship was over and Kelly was so upset that she got ridiculously drunk and a couple of months later, she found out she was pregnant with Margot with a man she couldn't remember. That's when we started to put the past behind us and when Mother bucked up her ideas. We helped her with the pregnancy and raising Margot as best we could."

They were silent for a few moments, each sipping their drinks before Emma asked, "What happened to Alyssa?"

Roni laughed humourlessly. "I ended things and told her to never come back because she wasn't worth running my relationship with my sister. She had said she didn't realise we were sisters because we don't look like each other, but that didn't matter. The damage was done and needed to be fixed. The only way I could do that was to have her out of my life. I needed to concentrate on Kel, so I did." Roni leant forward and rested her head in her hands. "I just miss my sister," she sighed.

Emma put her drink on the table and wrapped her arm over the other woman's shoulder, trying to comfort her as best she could.

"Life is shit and family can be too, but it'll work out eventually," Emma replied as she rubbed the other woman's back. "She's just hurt. People do crazy stuff and say awful things they come to regret when they're hurt."

Roni pulled back to look at the blonde before glancing at their glasses and noted they were empty. Emma went to refuse the second drink, but it was poured before she could. Not wanting to be rude, Emma accepted the glass and took a few sips once more, her head now swimming more than before but she was starting to feel more awake than she had been.

Wanting to distract the other woman, she decided to share her own story.

"I left my ex because he was abusive," she began. She looked up and saw Roni's confusion. "I was married to a man by the time the Lennie was born," she explained. "It's a very long and confusing story. He thought I was still in love with my ex," she twisted the tale so that Regina would be her ex in this, the only lie she wanted to tell, "which was true, I guess, but I didn't realise it at the time." Now she happily sipped her drink, wanting the liquid courage to keep talking. "It happened so slowly I didn't notice. He started asking me how my day had gone, which I thought was normal, sweet even, but every time he asked, he wanted to know more information. Every single detail. Who I'd seen, what I'd said and where I'd been, who else had been around me at the time. Then he started getting physical, clutching my leg tightly when we went out for dinner with friends or even when we saw my parents was his favourite. To everyone else, he was just holding my thigh, a romantic gesture, but they didn't see how tightly he was grabbing me, bruising my skin." She shivered as she remembered taking a shower the next day and saw the five purple intents on her pale thigh. "I was six months pregnant when he first hit me. He seemed so upset after it happened and he promised he'd never do it again. He didn't until after Lennie was born."

Emma then went silent as the scene flashed before her eyes. They had just arrived home from the hospital and she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was feed her daughter and sleep. It had been an emotional day with having to choose between Cora and Snow, but also the fact that she had brought her daughter into the world and couldn't share it with her other mother or with her son because neither of them was there.

However, as soon as the door had shut behind them, Hook flipped. Immediately he accused Emma of cheating on him because Elena didn't look like him at all. When Emma finally told him the truth that she wasn't his, she thought he would turn on her, but he went to lash out at the baby and she threw herself in front of the crib where she'd placed Elena for barely two minutes as she took off her jacket. However, before she knew it, Cora arrived and saved them and she couldn't have been more grateful.

"What happened?" Roni asked quietly. She had no idea that Emma was going to start revealing her dark past that she clearly wanted to forget. Yet she could see that she needed to get all this out and off her chest and she was rather honoured that she was the person she'd chosen to tell.

Emma swallowed. "He went for her," she whispered, the sound was barely audible. "He realised that she wasn't his. I thought he would go after me for "cheating", but he went straight for her. I don't even know what he was going to do but I cut him off and blocked his view to her. That didn't stop him, he smacked me across my jaw and cut my lip open but still I didn't move. There was no way I was going to let him get to her. His eyes were like fire and he brought his arm back, ready to lash out again but that was when Cora turned up and got us out." She hoped that Roni wouldn't ask how the petite woman had managed to break it up.

"I'm so sorry," Roni murmured as she reached out and squeezed Emma's knee gently. "I'm not surprised you don't want anything happening between us if that's your past. You know I'd never do anything like that and I already adore Lennie."

The blonde smiled softly before resting her hand on top of Roni's, sliding her thumb gently over her smooth skin.

"I know you wouldn't," Emma said softly. "That's not why I'm against this. I meant what I said earlier, I like you too, so much. I've never felt so at ease with someone. I've never told anyone what happened between Killian and I except Cora, but I just felt like I needed to tell you."

"I'm glad you feel so safe with me," Roni replied quietly. "I feel the exact same with you."

Emma looked up and couldn't not see Roni's striking beauty and vulnerability in that moment and with all the emotions that were running high, the tiredness clouding her brain and the alcohol swirling around her body, she was losing the control she'd had previously.

Roni was everything she wanted and needed at that moment and she couldn't control herself anymore and quite frankly, she didn't want to. She was reminded of her first drunken evening with Regina, the night Lennie was conceived. The angel on her shoulder was trying to stop her, telling her that she had other priorities to focus on than the woman in front of her, telling her that this was not the best route to take. Yet the devil was egging her on, telling her that she needed to do this. Everything would make more sense if she just acted on her feelings.

There was another quiet voice persuading her to kiss her, to prove a theory she had long thought but ignored.

Slowly, she lifted her hand from Roni's knee and loosely tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, causing the brunette to shiver, before she continued her hand's movement and threaded her fingers in her hair. She could feel Roni tense before she leant into the touch.

When the brunette didn't move away, Emma felt her confidence grow. Slowly, she leant further forward until she could feel Roni's breath on her lips and before she could overthink what was happening and pull back, she felt Roni's soft lips press against hers, her eyes slipped shut and she felt like she was at home.

A warm fuzzy feeling flushed around her body and she couldn't get enough of her. She laced her fingers further into Roni's short hair, slightly tilting her head to deepen the kiss. Roni's hand on her leg slipped higher up to her mid-thigh, squeezing softly before her free hand slipped into Emma's hair, mirroring the blonde's gesture.

The moment their tongues met, Emma's breath was taken. She had to pull back to regain it. However, when her eyes opened and she saw the lust in Roni's eyes, she was forcefully brought back to reality and she realised what had happened.

Pulling back, she saw Roni's eyes cloud over in confusion. "Emma?"

The way the woman said her name, Emma thought that she could finally remember. It was the same tone she had used all those years ago during the one night they had spent together. There was a tenderness in her voice that made Emma melt.

"Are you alright?"

As soon as Roni asked that, Emma realised she didn't remember. If this was Regina, she wouldn't have asked that. She'd have started either questioning why Emma was there or would have kissed her again, well she hoped the latter.

However, as she realised that Roni didn't remember, another feeling was added to her confusion and lust: disappointment. Her theory was poured down the drain at the fact that her kiss hadn't woken her up because it clearly meant that they weren't True Loves either. True Love's Kiss broke every curse, she knew that, had seen it happened, had been the reason it had happened, yet it hadn't worked now.

Tears threatened to fall as her eyes started to water at the revelation and her heart broke.

"I have to go," Emma blurted. She jumped up off the sofa and threw her jacket on. "I'm sorry."

Without turning back, because she knew she would never leave if she did, she rushed out of the apartment and out the back door, running all the way back home.

As soon as she reached her bed, she flung herself down and burst into tears, sobbing her heart out into her pillow. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she and Regina could be True Loves until Wonderland. When she had started her magic lessons with Cora, she had started reading magic books at her mother's request. In one that she found, she read that two women could have a child together if they were True Loves, it was the only way it would work. She hadn't told anyone that, choosing to keep it to herself, but at that moment, she realised the book must have been wrong. If she and Regina were True Loves, she would have woken up.

Now the tears had begun, she couldn't stop them. She cried for the woman she had been who had allowed Hook to treat her as badly as he had and not be able to fight him. She sobbed for the fact that she hadn't left with Regina when she went to save Henry alone. Sure, she would have been swept up in the curse with them, but at least they would have been together and Regina would have met her daughter and Henry would have got to know his sister. She wept for the fact that her real mother didn't love her enough to let her be happy in her life and the fact that she could never be the princess they wanted her to be.

Finally, she cried over the fact that she had just ruined her friendship with Roni. Despite the fact she was cursed, she loved their easy-going friendship and banter that they had going and she'd ruined it because she let the alcohol take over her system instead of logic. She couldn't blame Roni if she chose to sack her and never talk to her again. However, just at the thought of not seeing her made her heart ache further.

She wasn't sure how long she cried into the night, but she fell asleep at some point, completely exhausted, still wearing her jeans and jacket.

oOoOo

"Mom?"

Emma's eyes were stuck together with dried tears as she tried to wake up. She could hear worry and confusion in her daughter's voice and had never wanted to be the reason why.

"Mommy?"

Reaching up, Emma rubbed her eyes to help clear them before they opened slowly. Her green eyes were met with chocolate brown as she realised Lennie was lying beside her, already dressed.

"What time is it?" Emma asked. Her head was pounding from tiredness, crying all night and the amount of whisky she'd drank in a short amount of time.

"Just after ten," Lennie replied. "Mom, why were you sleeping while still dressed?"

"I fell asleep before I could change," Emma lied. "I was too tired after the spell."

She hated lying to her daughter, but there was no way she could explain what had happened to her. However, before could continue, Cora stepped into the room and opened her curtains wide, allowing the sun to blare through the glass, burning Emma's hungover eyes.

"Rise and shine," she instructed, her tone left no room for discussion and Emma was already completely aware that Cora either knew or had guessed what had happened the night before. "Lennie, go start some work, your science book is on the table."

"But it's Saturday!" She began to complain but when Cora raised her eyebrow, she sighed exasperatedly. "Fine," she huffed before she headed out of the room.

As soon as she left, Cora perched on the side of Emma's bed and handed her a steaming cup of coffee which Emma lapped up like a thirsty dog.

"What happened?" Cora asked, her voice still stern.

"I fucked up," Emma replied, not beating around the bush. She put the now half empty cup on her bedside table as she slipped up the bed. She took off her jacket and flung it onto the floor before she told her mother what had happened from the night before.

She told her everything Roni had said about her past, even Cora shivered at hearing how similar this Barbara had been to her treatment of Regina when she was younger. When Emma finally revealed that she kissed her, Cora's glare softened when she saw how upset Emma was.

"I started thinking that if I kissed her, she'd wake up," Emma whispered and swallowed. "I read in one of your books that two women could have a child together only if they were True Loves, that was the only explanation I found for how Lennie was conceived. I started to believe it which is why I wasn't letting myself kiss Roni but last night, it was a mixture of needing to feel something after feeling so empty after what had happened with Hook and just wanting to prove my theory right. I thought the moment our lips touched, she'd remember me and we'd have this long, emotional conversation about what had happened in the past and she'd be overjoyed that Lennie was actually her daughter but no. She doesn't remember a thing so clearly we're not True Loves because my kiss didn't work."

Again, Emma's eyes started to water, clearly not cried herself out the night before. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"You love her," Cora murmured. She had known how Emma felt about Regina for years but had never said it aloud, only ever hinting towards it.

Tears streamed down Emma's face as she nodded. "I do," she confirmed. "I also love Roni because she is Regina and god, that kiss was amazing, but it just didn't work and now I've fucked everything up! Roni will never let me work there again so my position is screwed and once she does remember, Regina will think that I don't want her when I do. My god, I want her." She rested her head in her hands. "What am I going to do, Mom?"

Cora rested her hand on Emma's back, stroking it softly. "First things first, you're going to have a shower to wake up and refresh yourself," she instructed. "Then you're going to have some toast to soak up some of the alcohol I can smell on your breath." Cora pulled a face as she had never been a fan of whisky. "Then you're going to take one of the phials of potion with you at all times in case you bump into Zelena and go to the pub to talk to Roni. The sooner you have the conversation and apologise for running away, the easier it will be."

Emma looked up from her previous hiding space. "I thought you were against anything happening with Roni because of the curse?"

Cora sighed. "I realised recently that love isn't weakness, it's strength."


	13. Chapter 13

At Cora's statement, Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She had no idea how Cora's life motto had suddenly turned around. Well, she knew that she hadn't believed that love was weakness for a very long time, but she'd never referred to it as strength before.

"What's changed?" Emma asked quietly but Cora shook her head.

"That's not important for now," she replied instead. "It's time to shower." Without leaving room for discussion, Cora stood from the bed and walked towards the door. "I'll have your toast ready in twenty minutes so chop chop."

Completely baffled, Emma watched Cora leave. In truth, all she wanted to do was curl up and go back to sleep, but she knew she couldn't. Instead she drank the rapidly cooling coffee beside her before heading into the bathroom to do as instructed.

After brushing her teeth, she already felt much better than she had. She opened the medicine cabinet and took to aspirins, washed down with some water, hoping they would sooth her head, before turning on the shower. As she'd only washed her hair the night before, she tied it up into a bun so it wouldn't get wet before she washed her body and face. She turned the water to cool so that it would shock her body awake which seemed to work.

Once finished, she stepped out the shower and dried herself before heading to her room. Because she was going to see Roni, she wanted to make a better impression that the one she'd left on, so she applied a thin layer of makeup before releasing her hair, the way she'd tied it up had created soft curls. She dressed in her favourite jeans and a tight white t-shirt before going to the kitchen.

As promised, Cora had just placed two slices of toast, one covered in jam and the other in honey, onto the table along with another coffee.

"Eat up, Dear," she instructed lightly before she took a seat beside Lennie and started talking her through one of the questions she was struggling with.

Once Emma had finished her food and drink, she sat back.

"There's no time like the present," Cora murmured without looking up from Lennie's text book.

"It's easier said than done, Mom," Emma sighed and finally Cora looked up.

"I know, honey, but you need to do this." She offered Emma a warm smile in hope that it would help her, but it just confused Emma more.

Something over the last few days had changed Cora's outlook on love and relationships and she just didn't understand what had changed. She wanted to ask her, but she knew Cora well enough now. There was no way she would answer any of Emma's questions about it, she'd have to wait until Cora brought the topic up herself.

With a deep breath, Emma stood up from the table and placed her dirty plate by the sink before returning to her room to pick up her jacket. When she returned to the kitchen area, Cora presented her with a small phial of the memory potion.

"Good luck," Cora said. "With both Roni and Zelena."

Emma nodded. "I'm going to need it." She then crossed the room to where Lennie was working. "I'm going out for a little while. I hopefully won't be too long."

"Okay," Lennie murmured but she was too busy concentrating on her work to really pay attention to what her mother was saying.

With a chuckle, Emma kissed Lennie's head before looking up at Cora. "I'll call you if I need backup."

Cora rolled her eyes but nodded nevertheless. Unable to procrastinate any longer, Emma picked up her purse and keys, and headed to the door.

She was grateful that it was a Saturday morning meaning the pub was open from eleven instead of the usual two on a week day, otherwise this would never have worked. Once she reached the door, she took a deep breath before opening it wide and walking in with as much confidence she could muster.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the redhead behind the bar and she smiled instantly at recognising Zelena, though she was baffled to see her actually working.

"Now, you must be new," Kelly greeted with a smirk. "I'd remember a face like yours."

Emma laughed at the woman's confidence. "Emma," she greeted, holding out her hand.

"Kelly," the redhead returned. She was already eyeing up the woman.

"Is Roni around?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Kelly shook her head. "She had a bit too much to drink last night so she's hidden herself away and begged me to take her shift. I don't know why though; I have a flight to catch this afternoon. I'm only doing it so I have a lift to the airport."

Emma's eyes narrowed at this version of the witch. She was still sassy like Zelena but even more bitter. However, she didn't want to cause any argument.

"That's annoying, I wanted to talk to her," Emma murmured. "Ask her for a drink or something."

Kelly's eyes glinted with something. "So you're that Emma?"

Emma's eyebrow raised. "What does that mean?"

"Oh nothing," Kelly said quickly and shrugged. "Roni just mentioned an Emma yesterday. Anyway, would you like a drink while we wait for her to grace us with her presence?"

"Sure, just a coke for now though and whatever you're drinking," Emma requested, and Kelly got to making their drinks. As she reached into her purse to pay, she saw the small phial of memory potion and knew she needed to slip it into Kelly's drink while she wasn't looking. She had to think quickly. As she passed over the money, she saw Kelly was heading to the cash register in front of her. "That one is really temperamental," Emma said quickly, lying through her teeth. "The one down there is better." She nodded to the far end.

Kelly looked confused but shrugged and accepted Emma's word. She took the proffered ten-dollar bill and headed to the other register. As soon as she was busy, Emma slipped opened the phial and poured the bottle into Kelly's drink before returning the bottle to her bag and held her breath.

Not a minute later, Kelly returned and passed Emma her changed before picking up her spiked drink. Emma raised hers in a toast. "To new friends."

The two then took a sip of their drinks and Emma tensed and waited. The redhead placed her glass on the table before her eyes blew wide. They flickered from side to side as all her memories flashed before her eyes. She saw her past in Oz before going to the Enchanted Forest. All of her fights with Regina flashed to the forefront before flicking ahead to going to Wonderland before returning to the Enchanted Forest once more and being swept up in the new curse.

After a full minute, Zelena blinked rapidly before she glanced up at the blonde in front of her. "Emma!" She gasped and Emma released her breath at the fact that the potion had worked.

"Zelena, thank God!" She cried before the witch flew around the bar and pulled the blonde into her arms. At the familiar feeling, Emma clung tightly onto her. "I'm so glad you're back."

With the reunion, they didn't hear the groan of a very hungover Roni behind them until it was too late.

"What's going on here?" She demanded, her voice a little too shrill for her headache as she winced.

Knowing that she couldn't suddenly change her attitude, Zelena knew she had to continue acting like Kelly who was still very pissed off with her sister.

"You know me, Roni," Zelena teased, "I've always been fond of blondes." Her eyes flashed with enjoyment at Roni's pain but on the inside, she hated seeing it. "Emma's perfect that way. She reminds me of Alyssa. You remember her, don't you? Maybe that's what attracted you to her, you wanted to replace your first love."

Roni stopped dead in her motions and all Emma wanted to do was hit the redhead because was really playing her part well, far too well.

"No," Roni whispered. "That's not what's going on."

"_Kelly_," Emma said, emphasising her fake name, "can you leave us for a moment?"

Zelena looked like she didn't want to leave but as she saw the look in Emma's eyes, she nodded and went to the back, but not far enough away that she wouldn't be able to hear what was going on.

Once they were alone, the two women stood awkwardly at a safe distance.

"Please ignore my sister," Roni requested at the same time Emma blurted, "I'm sorry."

Cautiously, Emma took a few steps forward and reached out for Roni's hand, but the brunette pulled back before she could take it, wrapping her arms nervously around her torso.

"I want you to know that I don't think you're Alyssa," Roni murmured, "but I already know what you're going to say." She looked up at Emma. "And I get it. You have a daughter to think about and you can't get involved with someone right now. Last night was a mistake because we were drunk and emotional. You regret everything."

Emma swallowed because this was the speech she had been expecting after she snuck away from Regina the morning after that fateful night, but they had never managed to talk about it with everything had happened since.

"That's not the case at all," Emma replied. "I can't regret kissing you because it's all I want to do, even now, but you're right; I can't get involved with someone right now. I'm so sorry it happened and I guess I should probably hand in my resignation now."

"No," Roni said immediately. "You need the job otherwise you wouldn't have asked for it. I can just schedule it so that we don't work together for now."

Emma's heart broke at the tone of Roni's voice, defeated and upset.

"I don't expect you to wait for me," Emma muttered quietly, "but I want you to know that when I'm ready, I want no one but you."

Roni shook her head. "Don't," she begged. "Don't say that. Don't make promises you don't know if you can keep."

"Sorry," Emma said again, knowing she could never not be sorry for everything that happened. "I should go."

She started to make her leave, ignoring the still full glass of coke in front of her and headed towards the door before Roni called her name. Turning, she realised that Roni was right behind her and before her brain could wrap around what was going on, Roni was kissing her again. Emma's hands automatically rested on the brunette's hips and Roni's came up to wrap around her neck. Their kiss deepened for a second as their tongues met briefly before Roni pulled back. Automatically, Emma went to close the gap and forget what was going on and just feel Roni's lips again, but the brunette shook her head.

"I had to do it once sober," she said quietly, "just to know what it was like."

Before Emma could say anything, Roni let go and practically ran out of the room. The door that led to her apartment slammed behind her and Emma had to grab onto the table beside her to find her balance. She leant on the table, her head in her hands, before groaning.

"Well I wasn't expecting that," Zelena murmured as she walked up to the blonde. "What on earth have I missed?"

"Everything," Emma sighed. "Right now, you need to make amends with Roni, come up with any story to get back on her good side and let her win whatever argument was going on with Kelly."

Zelena nodded. "That's fine, she was going to cave this afternoon anyway," she revealed. "She hated fighting with Roni anyway. It'll also help me stay too, which I'm guessing I need to do?"

"Definitely," Emma agreed. "Then come to this address," she passed the woman a slip of paper which she'd written her address down on should she need to pass it to anyone, along with the code for the main door, "this afternoon. Ivy is bringing Sophia and Rumple is coming. We need to get to the bottom of this stupid curse."

"And when do we discuss what's going on with you and Roni?" Zelena asked, her voice full of concern. Emma had thought she was going to tease her mercilessly about it all, but clearly, she could see the pain going through both her sisters' faces.

"This evening over a bottle of wine if you're game?" Emma suggested.

"I'll be there."

Emma nodded and took a step back from the table. "I'll see you then."

She then slipped out of the door and headed back home.

When Emma opened the apartment door, she saw that Rumple had arrived since she'd been gone. She immediately noticed how he and her mother were sitting closer on the sofa than was really necessary while Lennie was still sat at the kitchen table, her science book still open.

"Hey," Emma murmured as she dropped her keys into the bowl and hung up her jacket. "The potion worked, Zee's back."

"Thank god!" Cora released a sigh of relief. "Where is she then?"

Emma made her way in and headed over to Lennie. She tapped her on her shoulder said she could rest from her work as she needed to listen. Following her mother's instruction, Lennie put the lid on her pen and shut her book.

"She's making up with Roni," Emma said as she and Lennie made their way over to the two on the sofa. "Kelly, her counterpart, was horrible to her last night and she needs to make up for that before she can just sneak out."

Rumple nodded. "Indeed, their fight in the past was rather explosive," he commented. "The police were called to calm them down. I'm surprised Kelly even came back to talk."

"We can ask her when she arrives," Emma murmured as she played with Lennie's hair, tied up in a pony tail as she preferred. "I asked her to get here when Ivy arrives with Sophia."

Cora nodded before smiling happily before standing up. "Lunch?"

"Yes!" Lennie cheered, speaking for the first time. She hadn't really commented on the fact her auntie had her memory back, partially because she was still a little upset that they had chosen to wake Zelena up and not her other mother.

Shaking her head, Lennie joined her grandmother in the kitchen to help her with making lunch. Ten minutes later, everyone was given a ham sandwich with some cucumber and carrot sticks.

Rumple raised his eyebrows at the veg and Emma just rolled her eyes and shook her head, telling him not to question it. Emma was used to Cora's need to always have some sort of veg on the plate.

Lennie requested to watch the nature programme from the day before so that she could continue watching about the chimpanzees and gorillas that had joined half way through the show. While nothing important was going on, Emma happily allowed it.

Once all the plates had been tidied up, there was a short and crisp knock on the door and Emma already knew who it was.

She rushed over to the door and pulled it open to reveal the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Nice place you've got here!" She complimented as she stepped in.

As soon as Lennie saw her auntie, she realised how much she'd missed her. She rushed over and threw her arms around her tightly. "Auntie Zee!" She cried. "I missed you!"

"Lennie!" Zelena reached down and picked her niece up, hugging her tightly. "I've missed you too, little monkey!" She put her down and cupped her face. "Look at you! You're so much bigger. How old are you now?"

"Almost eight," Lennie grinned before she frowned. "Where's Robbie?"

Zelena bit her lip, clearly Lennie hadn't been told about her cousin yet. "She's not with me at the moment," she said slowly, glancing at Emma, glaring slightly at the fact she'd not told her daughter the truth. "She's a bit older than you now, she's twenty-four."

"What!" Now it was Cora's turn to be surprised. She had made her way over and pulled her daughter into her arms.

"There's a lot we need to catch up on," Zelena murmured before a second, much more timid knock, was heard.

"That'll be Ivy," Emma said. "We'll resume this conversation later."

Emma crossed the room and opened the door, greeting Ivy and Sophia with a smile. As soon as Lennie saw the young brunette, she ran over and the two started chatting immediately.

"Can Sophia and I hang out in my room?" Lennie asked. She glanced at her aunt, wanting to talk to her more but she also didn't want to be surrounded by adults when she knew they'd be talking about something most likely very boring.

"It's fine by me," Emma replied. She glanced up at Ivy who also nodded.

"Don't make a mess," Ivy requested and Sophia only laughed at her mother before following Lennie out the room.

Both Emma and Ivy watched their daughters walk out of the room before Cora coughed quietly. "I'll make the tea."

Ten minutes later, the adults were sat on the sofas, Rumple, Cora and Zelena sharing one sofa, the matriarch not wanting her daughter out of arms reach now that she had her back. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, especially how Robyn was suddenly in her twenties, but there would be at time and place for that later. Ivy had taken a seat beside Emma as she was still a little bit uncomfortable being around Rumple.

"So," Emma sighed. "What the hell are we going to do?"

"I think we need to figure out who we need to watch or look out for first," Cora suggested. "Has anyone actually seen Gothel in town?"

Ivy shook her head. "I've looked everywhere for her, but I've not seen her."

"She's the missing woman," Rumple murmured.

"What?" Emma's brows furrowed confusion.

"There is an unsolved police case that my partner is working on," Rumple revealed. "From the pictures, it's her but there are no leads to where she is. I'll get Rogers to look into it deeper."

"Rogers?" Emma repeated. "Please tell me that isn't this other Killian?" The name was too coincidental to be anyone else.

Rumple nodded. "I'm afraid so, but he isn't half as bad as the original. We got on quite well in the Enchanted Forest though after what Cora has said about the original, he's going to be lucky if he still has his legs left after I'm done with him because he'll definitely be missing his other hand. No one messes with my family and gets away with it!"

The growl in his voice emphasised his point. At that point, there was no denying that the Dark One included the blonde as part of his family. However, Emma wasn't sure if it was because she was the mother to his grandchildren or because he saw her as some kind of daughter. That remained to be seen.

"Then that's the first step," Emma said, trying to ignore the thoughts swirling around her head about her ex-husband. Zelena sent her a reassuring smile from across the room. "The next thing is to have someone look into both Victoria and Jacinda." She turned to Ivy. "What does Jacinda do here?"

"She works for Mother," Ivy replied. "She's an executive of some type while I'm just Mother's assistant who she hates." She sighed.

"But you could let someone into Tremaine's office while she's out?" Zelena asked, speaking for the first time. "Surely she'll have some clues in there? Perhaps pointers to Gothel's whereabouts or who cast the curse? I for one have no idea about that either. I remember helping with it, but the memories are a little bit fuzzy so I'm not sure if it's true."

Ivy's brows furrowed in confusion. "Zelena, you know I cast the curse."

"I don't think you did, Dearie," Rumple said kindly. "I think there's another level to the curse that is blocking us from knowing the true caster. If you cast the curse, everything that came to be here would be how you wanted it to be. You would be with Henry and your daughter and the fact that isn't the case proves that you are not the caster. I know this curse inside out but yet something is wrong with it."

At that, Ivy let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God." She shook her head. "Then we really need to find out what my mother has in her office. She and Jacinda have an apparently very important meeting every Monday at ten for an hour, sometimes two. I can make sure they don't interrupt whoever needs goes into her office."

As soon as that was said, three pairs of eyes turned to Emma. Following the others' gazes, Ivy turned to the blonde too.

"I take it that it's me then?" Emma presumed.

Zelena raised her eyebrow. "You're the best one for the job. I mean, didn't your old job before Storybrooke involve searching through people's belongings looking for information?"

Emma chuckled. "I mean, that's not quite how it's described but I guess so."

"Then it's settled," Cora said. "I'll keep Lennie on Monday and you can go to Belfrey towers and look through Victoria's office." She turned to Ivy. "My next question is about this Jacinda. Is she awake?"

Ivy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I've tried to bring things up that happened in the real past, but she doesn't remember. She's as asleep as Henry is. That's what I find really interesting. If she was the one to cast the curse, surely she'd be awake."

"Unless she's a damn good actress," Zelena sneered. "She's the most twisted little imp I've ever met. It wouldn't surprise me if she was awake and was just pretending not to be. She fucked over my family and I'm not okay with that. Don't get me started on Victoria too, the silly bitch."

"Jeez, Zee, tell us how you really feel!" Emma gasped. She'd been on the wrong side of the witch many times in the past before they became friends, but she had never heard her speak of anyone with such distaste. She was also rather glad her daughter wasn't there to hear the foul language.

The witch's eyes flashed with disgust. "You've never experience them. With Gothel, they are the definition of all things evil and wicked. Regina and I didn't even come close to it."

Before anyone could say anything else, Ivy's phone started to ring. She pulled the device out of her pocket and her face paled.

"It's my mother," she revealed before she connected the call. The conversation didn't last long before she sighed and slipped her phone away. "I have to go. Apparently, Sophia is meant to be spending the afternoon with her before she goes back to Henry's." She frowned and a tear escaped.

Emma reached out and squeezed her arm supportively. "We will get our family back together," she promised. "We'll get there."

Ivy gave Emma a watery smile and nodded before she called out for Sophia. Not two minutes later, the two girls appeared, both grinning happily at spending time with each other, already as thick as thieves.

"Meet me in the foyer on Monday at five past ten," Ivy instructed the blonde after she picked up her daughter.

Emma nodded. "I'll see you there."


	14. Chapter 14

Once Ivy and Sophia had left, it was Zelena's turn to be the centre of attention tell her story about what had happened after she left Wonderland and a tale it really was.

Her first stop had been Storybrooke to find Mal and talk to her, but the dragon was nowhere to be seen. However, as she arrived, nothing was as it had been. She was able to find out that only two years had passed since she had left with her family. With Regina and now Maleficent gone, Snow had taken over as Mayor and boy was the town suffering.

A number of the shops on the high street were boarded up or had closed signs up, clearly the budget for them had been drained. The only things that still seemed to intact were the school, fortunately, the police station and the town hall. Everything else had been left to struggle. There were whispers of a protest against the former princess brewing.

During the two years she stayed there, she saw that whatever was going on behind closed doors with the Prince and Princess of the town were not tales of True Love. Charming and Snow never seemed to stop arguing. David just wanted what was best for the town and the people, but Snow wasn't having any of it. Naturally, the dwarves were on her side and did whatever they were instructed, which meant destroying all of the fairy dust they had collected when Charming had wanted to use it to try and contact their daughter because Snow didn't trust it.

As Emma heard that, she was touched that her father was trying. She felt bad about leaving him and now felt worse that she'd left his with this new deranged Snow. However, Zelena's story worsened when she mentioned that Hook and Snow were spending a hell of a lot of time together, but she didn't want to know what was going on there.

When Emma asked about her brother, the witch's eyes darkened. "He's too much like Hook," she glowered, and Emma didn't need to hear any more. With Zelena's tone, it was clear that something had happened between Neal and Robyn, but she didn't want to upset her sister and make her relive what had happened. She would find out eventually.

After whatever had happened between Robyn and Neal, Zelena had had enough and she decided to leave, choosing to go the Enchanted Forest instead of back to Wonderland, hoping that perhaps Mal would be there. Again, there was no whisper of her. It was as if she and Lily had disappeared off the face of the earth.

However, shortly after arriving, Zelena found a group of very familiar faces. It was the Merry Men along with a newly turned thirteen-year-old Roland. As soon as Robyn met her older brother, the two got on like a house on fire. Both were avid archers and Little John was doing his best to teach them both Robin's skill. When he recognised Robin's magic bow that Robyn used on occasion, he asked if he could keep it but she refused, saying the bow came to her, not him. Little John accepted that and never asked again.

Over the next few years, Zelena realised that her daughter was aging as normal, but she didn't seem to be aging herself. Even when Robyn turned seventeen, Zelena looked like she did when she'd just given birth to her. She was complaining in the slightest, she just found it a little odd.

Even though Robyn was aging perfectly, Zelena felt it was still a little quick, especially when she started staying out a little later at night. At first, she had feared for her daughter's safety as she had heard whispers of a powerful sorceress that had been trapped by two women who didn't know who they were messing with. She was sick with worry when Robyn didn't return when she was supposed to one night, convinced that she had been captured. However, when Robyn finally turned up, she was bright red with embarrassment at being caught and she had a very dark purple mark on her neck. It took a long round of tickles and mild threats until Robyn revealed that she had a girlfriend.

Emma cackled at hearing that, loving the fact that Robyn had been sneaking out to see girl and the fact that it seemed that yet another member of the Mills' family had a preference for the fairer sex. It just baffled Emma that Robyn's girlfriend was none other than the Alice she had saved from the Jabberwocky all those years ago.

Shortly after Robyn turned eighteen was when Regina came knocking and Zelena knew she had to help her sister and her family. With a heavy heart, she left her farm behind and Robyn had to leave her brother, but they promised they'd find each other in the future eventually. The young archer was just happy that Alice would be going with them. She hadn't needed much persuasion.

Zelena had missed the first battle with staying back with Drizella due to realising she was pregnant, but the second battle was when things started to heat up. It turned out that Tremaine's husband, Cinderella's father, Marcus, was an old friend of the Wicked Witch from many years ago. The two had met before Marcus had met Cinderella's mother, let alone Lady Tremaine.

Because of their past, Tremaine was very wary of the witch, convinced there was more to their friendship than met the eye. When Marcus tried to recruit Zelena to join them, that was the last straw for Tremaine and she fought Zelena, using Gothel to wield her magic against the witch.

"She didn't win," Zelena said quickly as she saw both Emma and Cora's despair at the fight. "She bruised my magic for a little while but I'm fine."

Due to the damage, Zelena was unable to help Henry with his poisoned heart. However, the history with Zelena and Marcus was clearly the reason why Victoria had wanted Kelly banished from Hyperion Heights when the curse was cast. It seemed that was part of the reason Victoria had banished the redhead, accusing her of sleeping with her dead husband and wanted her out of the town.

It turned out that Kelly had found a life in San Francisco. She worked in a gym and was a little bit of a hippie. She had even started dating someone called Maddie, but it wasn't serious. Once she'd regained her memory and made up with Roni, she had called her girlfriend and ended things, saying she had to say in Seattle for an unknown amount of time and it wasn't fair on the blonde. However, as she thought about her now ex, she realised how similar she had been to Maleficent. Blonde hair and blue eyes, very feisty and a wicked sense of humour. It made her miss the dragon more.

Emma could see that her sister was getting a little upset thinking about her past lover, so she quickly asked about Robyn.

Zelena sighed. "I have no idea what to do about it," she murmured. "I want her to be here but that's because I'm being selfish. I miss Robyn so much, but Margot and Kelly didn't get on very well. Because I still look young, the curse made it so I had a very early pregnancy which made us clash a lot. She's still too angry with everything that happened with Roni to want to come back."

"She needs to come back eventually," Cora said. "Besides, I miss my granddaughter."

"I miss Robbie," Lennie said sadly, joining in the conversation after being silent for so long. Part way though, she had stood from sitting beside her mother to sitting on Zelena's lap. Despite everything she had said about wanting to wake Regina up first, she was secretly glad to have her auntie back.

"She missed you too," Zelena replied. "She was always talking about what you would do if you were there." She sighed. "I'll give us a little more time before I call her and say that I'm back in Hyperion Heights. That alone will confuse her and she'll most likely come back. She'll think her mother has lost her mind. Although, talking about Robyn, have you seen Alice while you've been here?"

Emma shook her head. "I haven't."

"I have," Rumple murmured. "But she keeps to herself and out of Victoria's way. She can remember parts of our other lives, but Victoria has her on very strong medication which prevents her from remembering. I'm not sure what happened there. I think it's because she has very powerful magic and it's as if she was trying to undo the curse while it was happening to protect Robyn, but it failed and has given her a split personality while she's here. I check in with her every now and then when I can."

Zelena nodded. "She did everything for Robbie."

Before long, Cora made her leave and went to start making dinner, Rumple offered to help which Zelena found rather odd. Emma simply shook her head, mouthing that the redhead shouldn't ask.

"So how did you make up with Roni?" Emma asked to change the subject. She'd wanted to know that from the moment Zelena had arrived, but the time hadn't been appropriate.

Zelena chuckled. "I said she was right," she replied. "How else do you make up with Regina?"

"I guess," Emma murmured. "So you're okay?"

The witch nodded. "We will be, but Kelly was so hurt that Roni had persuaded Margot to leave. She thought she was being deserted by her family again." Emma shivered in her seat, knowing the feeling of that completely. "Sorry," Zelena said quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's fine," Emma said. "I'm glad you've made up though. It'll make things easier."

Before long, Cora announced that dinner was ready and the family sat down to eat. On the menu that evening was a chicken stir fry with a peanut sauce that Cora had whipped up in less than twenty minutes after having Rumple prep half of the vegetables to speed things up.

While they ate, the family chatted aimlessly, Lennie happily keeping the conversation going. She had mostly been filling Zelena in about what had happened over the past couple of years since she and Robyn had left and Zelena was loving it. She truly had missed her niece while being away, she had missed her entire family. However, she knew leaving had been for the best.

After dinner, Emma had decided to introduce both Rumple and Lennie to the Harry Potter films, after already making Zelena and Cora watch the films back in Storybrooke. As Lennie had now finished reading the first book, Emma had thought it would be a good idea to let her watch the film. It was also pretty interesting watching Rumple see how someone else had depicted the use of magic.

He had scoffed at the spells used. "What the hell does 'wingardium leviosa' mean? That is not how you levitate something." However, he admired the game of Quidditch and joked that Zelena should teach him how to ride a broomstick so that he could play.

Later that evening, well after Lennie and Cora had gone to bed and Rumple had left, though the Dark One was tending to leave their apartment later and later each time he was over, Zelena was sat on the sofa with Emma with the very large glass of wine apiece.

Emma had been staring at her glass for a while and Zelena was biding her time to ask what had been on the tip of her tongue since that morning. After a few sips, she couldn't wait any longer.

"Come on, spill," she requested, "what's going on with you and Roni?"

Emma sighed before revealing everything that had happened up until that moment. She told the redhead about first meeting Roni and automatically feeling a connection with her, but she wasn't sure if it was because she knew her as Regina or if there was just something about them that meant there would always be a connection there. She then went on to tell her about the moments they had where they almost kissed, but Emma had pulled back and the second time when Roni had called her out on it and Emma had confessed that she wanted to something to happen but couldn't allow it.

"She must be so confused with everything that's going on in my life," Emma murmured after she was half way through her wine. "I said that Lennie has another mother, which is true, but then started telling her everything that had happened with Hook. I needed her to know the truth, I wanted Regina to know what had happened."

"But she isn't Regina at the moment," Zelena pointed out. "What made you tell Roni about him?"

Emma paused for a moment as she thought about it. "I think I just wanted to be on an equal level as her. She had just told me everything that had happened with you, well Kelly, and Alyssa and I wanted to share something important about my past with her. We were drunk and there were so many feelings and thoughts going around. Then I kissed her."

Zelena's eyebrows shot up into her hair. "So the kiss I saw earlier wasn't the first?"

The blonde shook her head. "No." She laughed humourlessly. "I stupidly thought that if I kissed her, then I could wake her up, but it didn't work. I just led her on for no reason and now she probably hates me."

"She doesn't," Zelena said quickly. "We talked about it earlier, but she doesn't know how much she can trust me at the moment, so she didn't tell me much. But as Kelly and as Zelena, I know her so well. She cares about you and wants something to happen."

"But it can't while she's still Roni," Emma murmured sadly. "It's not fair on her or Lennie. Lennie met her for the first time and she's already besotted with her mother even though she's not technically her mother at the moment. She was furious when she found out we were going to wake you before Regina but while she's Roni, Lennie isn't upset that she doesn't know who she is. When Regina wakes up, Lennie is going to think she'll know who she is, but she won't; she doesn't have a clue that we have a daughter together. It'll break Elena's heart."

Zelena placed her wineglass on the table before lacing her fingers together, resting her hands on her lap. "Why haven't you told her the truth?"

Instead of following Zelena's actions, Emma drained her still half full glass. "Because I'm a terrible mother." She placed her now empty glass on the table and lifted her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly. "I didn't know how to tell her, so I never did. I've never explicitly told her that Regina knows she's her daughter, but I've not said she doesn't. As far as Len knows, Regina left while I was pregnant to save Henry. She's too young to know what that could insinuate."

"You need to tell her, Em," Zelena said softly. She reached out and pulled on Emma's knee, trying to get her open up and relax. "She's clever and intuitive. She'll understand and she needs to know before Regina wakes up because you know she'll unintentionally hurt her because her first, last and every thought in between will be about Henry. She'll be over the moon to see you because you'll be able to help her save Henry. At first, she'll not put two and two together about Lennie. Do you have any idea how hurt she was when you left that morning without a word?"

"I know," Emma whispered. Zelena had told her Regina's reaction to waking alone when they spoke about it back in Wonderland. However, Emma had shut the conversation down quickly each time, too full of guilt to hear the words.

Zelena refilled their drinks and placed the glass in Emma's hands which the blonde sipped immediately. "If things were to go the way you wanted, how would that look?"

"Honestly?" The blonde asked and Zelena nodded. "I'm torn. On the one hand, I want to know who cursed you all and how to find the bitch who hurt my son. I want Henry to remember me and I want to be able to meet my granddaughter who seems amazing, but I can't get to know her while she doesn't know who I am."

"What about the other part?" Zelena prompted carefully.

"I want to run to Roni and kiss her with everything I have," Emma admitted, "with all the love I feel, and hope that it'll break the curse because it turns out we are True Loves, but like I've said, we've kissed more than once, both drunk and sober and it wasn't to be. Even when Storybrooke had no magic, my kiss still woke Henry." Emma felt herself tearing up at the confession, but she knew she needed to get it off her chest. "I got myself so worked up over it and was so convinced it was going to happen but when it didn't, I freaked out and had to leave. Now she hates me and I won't be able to see her because she's going to change the shifts so that we won't work together. I have no chance of making it up to her." She sighed. "Then on top of that, I kinda don't want anything to happen because it feels like I'm cheating on Regina."

"You and Regina weren't together though?" Zelena pointed out. "Do you know what I would do?" Emma shook her head. "I'd go to Roni and tell her that you want to see how things go because life is too short. When Regina wakes up, which we know she will eventually, she might be a bit confused, but you can tell her that you love every part of her, no matter what, and you couldn't wait to be with her. Tell her about the connection you feel to her, that'll sweep her off her feet."

Emma chuckled and Zelena grinned, happy that she had managed to make the blonde finally smile after such a heavy conversation.

"We'll see," she murmured before sipping her wine.

After that, the two decided to distract themselves and put the TV on quietly. They ended up watching some old episodes of FRIENDS before heading to Emma's room for the night. As she had moved away, Kelly's apartment had been resold and she currently had nowhere to stay. Roni had said she could stay there for a while, they were sisters after all and she had a spare room, which Zelena had accepted but she quickly text her sister to say she was staying at a friend's for the night so that she didn't worry.

oOoOo

At precisely five minutes past ten on Monday morning, Emma arrived outside Belfrey Tower. Most of Sunday, she, Cora and Zelena had discussed how to tackle going through Victoria's office. Naturally, she couldn't take anything with her because Victoria would notice, that also meant she couldn't move anything.

They had decided in the end for Emma to video everything on her phone and to commentate on what she saw. They just had to hope that she found something worthwhile.

As promised, Ivy met her in the foyer and showed her up to Victoria's office, allowing her into the room.

"Mother seemed in very high spirits this morning," she murmured at the door, "meaning their meeting will probably run on, but don't be any longer than forty-five minutes just in case. I'll call you if she's early."

Emma nodded. "Okay."

"Good luck," Ivy said before she headed out of the door.

Once the door was shut behind her, Emma got to work. She slipped her phone out of her pocket and started the video. Deciding the woman's desk would be a good place to start, she made her way over to it.

As the desk was clear of all paper, only holding a mac book pro on top and a mouse, she moved to the desks and almost cursed when they were locked. However, she had prepared for this and had clipped her hair back with a bobby-pin, knowing it could come in useful. She sent a silent 'thank you' to Neal who had always requested she carried one with her for occasions such as this.

With a twist and click, she opened the top draw and immediately hit the jackpot. There was tall pile of sheets that had the name and picture of everyone from the Enchanted Forest along with their cursed name and real name. She flipped through the pages and made sure to film each page. She couldn't help the wince when she saw Killian Jones, aka Rogers', face flash up.

As she reached one of the final pages, a name screamed at her but before she could fully concentrate on it, her phone started to buzz. Seeing it was Ivy, she quickly connected the call.

"Get out now!" She all but screamed. "She's forgotten something and is going to her office."

In her panic, Emma simply ran out of the room, not realising she'd left her bobby-pin on the desk and the draw slightly open. She sprinted out of the room and headed to the stairs, knowing Victoria wouldn't be caught dead using the stairs.

She rushed down several flights before she dared to risk the elevator. She jabbed the button repetitively until it opened before pressing the ground floor and escaping.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she called Ivy. "I'm out," she said breathlessly. "I'm out the building and getting as far away as I can. I have some information. See you soon."

She disconnected the phone before heading home.

As soon as she walked through the door, she shared what she saw with both Cora and Zelena who had been staying with Lennie while Emma was out.

"She's got a list of everyone who's from the Enchanted forest," Emma said once she regained her breath. "Including this one." She paused the video. "Eloise Gardener, apparently also known as Gothel and I know where she is."

However, before Emma could continue, her phone started to ring yet again, but this time it wasn't Ivy, it was Roni.

"Hello?" Emma answered nervously.

"Hi," Roni replied, just as cautiously. "I'm sorry it's last minute, but can you work tonight? Remy is ill and no one else can cover seeing as Kelly had disappeared." There was concern as well as confusion laced in Roni's voice. "To start at eight?"

"I'll be there," Emma promised before hanging up. She filled her family in on her shift later on.

"Who cares," Zelena snapped. "Where is Gothel?"

"That's the interesting bit," Emma said. "She's in Belfrey Tower. I just don't know where exactly."

"Well shit," Zelena sighed which summed up Emma's thoughts. Just because they knew where she was, doesn't mean they could get her out of there to start questioning her.

By the time it came to her shift, Emma was rather happy for the distraction, even if it meant she was going to work with Roni. She wanted to get the shift done before asking to talk, without any alcohol so they could be honest with each other. She was going to take Zelena's advice and just go for it.

However, when she walked through the front door, ready to greet to the woman, someone she knew very well, well a form of him, stepped in front of her view, blocking her path to Roni.

"Are you Emma Swan?" Rogers asked.

"Who's asking?" She retorted, feigning ignorance. Glancing up, she saw Roni looking very worried, her hand paused on the beer handle she was about to pull.

"My name is Detective Rogers and you're under arrest for trespassing."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Another trigger warning for domestic abuse in this chapter. Sorry in advance!_

"What!" Emma gasped, feeling like she'd misheard him.

"You have the right to remain silent," Rogers continued pretending Emma hadn't spoken, taking hold of her arm, "anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Emma!" Roni cried as she rushed over. "Rogers, you've got to be kidding. Emma wouldn't do anything like this."

Rogers swallowed, obviously not wanting to get on Roni's bad side. "I have to take her to the station for questioning. I'm under strict instruction."

Roni scoffed, she rested her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow, looking very mayor-like in that moment. "You mean Victoria told you to do this?"

"I'm sorry," Rogers murmured. "My hands are tied."

It took all of Emma's self-control to not laugh at that. Instead, she made her face impassive and sighed.

"It's fine," she said. "I'm sorry I can't work. Call Kelly?"

Roni looked reluctant but nodded. She squeezed Emma's hand. "Good luck."

Emma smile softly before allowing Rogers to lead her out of the pub. All the customers' eyes were on her and she felt so ashamed even though everything was warranted. It just brought back the memories of being arrested the first time after Neal had screwed her over. This time, she knew she'd just have to lie through her teeth.

Rogers led Emma to the police car waiting outside. How she hadn't noticed that when she walked in, she didn't know. Well perhaps she had, but she had been thinking too much about seeing Roni again to take note of her surroundings.

The journey to the station wasn't long and Emma soon found herself being led into one of the interrogation rooms.

"Look, this isn't going to be a formal interrogation," Rogers said as he took a seat opposite the blonde. "I don't think a lawyer will be necessary, but if you feel like you need one, just say."

Emma smirked. "I can stand on my own." She tried to ooze confidence, but on the inside, she was very uncomfortable. She hadn't seen Killian since the day Elena had been born. Even though the person in front of her was the cursed persona of the wish version of him, they still looked and sounded exactly the same.

Due to wanting to seem intimidating to the blonde, the detective had his lip curled into a snarl and a scowl on his face. Emma was half convinced he would reach out and pull her close to him and mark his possession on her, bruising her neck and wrists as he had before. She shivered in disgust and felt herself withdrawing and her confidence fading as all the memories flashed before her eyes.

"Would you like something to drink before we start?" Rogers asked and Emma shook her head, not trusting her voice at that moment. "Okay," he said, more to himself than to Emma. He set the recording machine going and readied his notepad. "So we'll start with something easy. What is your name and date of birth?"

Emma rolled her eyes, because the detective wouldn't already have this information. Instead of stating that, she humoured him.

"Emma Swan, born October 22nd, 1983."

Rogers nodded, apparently content that Emma was telling the truth, confirming her previous thought that he already knew that information.

"What about family?"

Emma's eyes narrowed. "What about them?"

The detective shrugged, trying to pass the comment off as casual but Emma could already see through him. These weren't questions to do with the trespassing, they hadn't got there yet. Instead, the cop had certainly been instructed to dig around in Emma's life.

"I have a daughter," Emma said eventually, "who lives with me and my mother, and a son who currently lives with his other mother."

It wasn't full lie, but it wasn't the full truth.

"I see," Rogers commented. His previously calm expression turned impassive as he thought about his next question. It would seem that he hadn't expected Emma to reveal her son. "And you work at Roni's?"

Emma sighed. "Can we get to what I'm really here for? I don't think it's necessary to have this aimless chatter about my life and situation. That's not why I'm under arrest?"

Rogers blushed at clearly being caught but he quickly recovered. "Fine!" He snapped, becoming the policeman he'd been cursed as. The shift in his mood caught Emma off guard and her mind was thrown back into the past whenever Killian has the snarl on his lips and fire in his eyes. She never got out of there pain-free.

Immediately, her hands balled up and her nails were digging into her palms, threatening to break the skin. She held her breath.

"Where were you at ten am today?" He demanded, the shift in his persona really was terrifying.

"At home," Emma replied quietly, lying through her teeth, but she knew Cora would be her alibi should she need one. "With my mother and daughter."

The detective raised his eyebrow. "Then why did I get a call saying you'd broken into Mrs Belfrey's office?"

Emma swallowed and tried to summon any kind of confidence, no matter how fake it was. "You'll have to ask her."

Rogers rose suddenly from the chair, scraping it across the floor before he slammed his fists on the table, full interrogating mode as he moved into Emma's personal space. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small clear bag. Inside was the hair grip Emma had used to prise open Victoria's draw.

"Does this clip belong to you?" He asked.

Again, Emma summoned her fake confidence, but on the inside, she was crying. She felt as if any moment, he would reach out and pull her by her hair and force her out of her chair and to sleep with him as he had before. She couldn't shake the memory out of her head. It had only happened once, a few weeks after he'd hit her for the first time, but it has been ingrained in her head.

_She had been avoiding sharing a bed with her husband because of his sudden aggression. However, one night, she couldn't prolong staying away from the house. She entered slowly, flicking the lights on as she walked through the foyer, and saw that he'd been sitting at the kitchen table in the dark, waiting for her. _

"_You're late," he hissed._

_Emma tensed. "Not by much. Cora–"_

"_I don't care about Cora." The distaste was powerful as he sneered her name. "I expect my wife to be home when she says she will be."_

"_I'm home now," she said as she slowly made her way towards him. She took a seat opposite him at the kitchen table. _

_The pirate smirked. "That you are. Now come with me. I want to bed you."_

_Emma's eyes widened at the bluntness before she shook her head. "I'm not in the mood. This pregnancy is taking its toll on me."_

_Clearly that was not the answer the pirate wanted to hear. His eyes flashed with danger before he stood up abruptly, sending his chair toppling over behind him. "You are my wife! You do as I say!" He reached out and pulled her arm, forcing her to stand._

"_Killian, stop it!" Emma all but screamed. "You're hurting me."_

"_Good!" _

_When Emma struggled, Hook seemed to take delight in it. She pulled her arm back, trying to get free but he wasn't having any of it. He released her arm, which Emma took as a victory, but it proved to be short lived as he then weaved his fingers through her hair close to her skull. _

"_You are coming with me, Mrs Jones!" He breathed into her ear making her almost vomit. However, now she had no choice. If she tried to pull away from his vice grip, her hair would be ripped out, but she couldn't let him win. At that moment, she forgot that she had magic._

_She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong and she found herself being dragged to their bedroom. Her clothes were ripped from her body and he was pounding himself into her before she was fully undressed. It was unbelievable pain as there was no lubrication as he violated her, over and over again._

_Once he had his fill, he laughed joyfully before kissing her, thrusting his tongue town her throat, almost making her choke. He pushed her forcefully back on the bed and took a step back._

"_Clean the blood before the morning," he instructed before leaving, slamming the door in his wake._

_However, Emma could barely move she was in so much pain. Her skull was sore from his grip and she was sure some hair had been forcefully pulled from her scalp. Her throat was aching from screaming, but her sounds seemed to egg him on. All she could do was hope that someone would find her before he came back. _

_She didn't need to wait long until Cora arrived. Emma hadn't text her to let her know she'd arrived home safe and she'd gotten worried. She found the blonde curled up and sobbing on the bed. It didn't take her long to work out what had happened and she took care of the blonde the best way she could. Again, she begged her to leave him, but Emma couldn't._

With that memory swirling around her head, Emma seem to shut herself down. Her eyes were watering with tears she didn't want to shed and her mouth was dry, as if she'd been screaming like she had that night.

However, before she was forced to respond, another voice was heard.

"Rogers, do you know how many women have a hairclip like that on their person?" It sneered. "Put it away and leave."

"Weaver?" Rogers grunted before he pulled back from the table, his alternate persona evaporating as he saw his partner at the door. "What are you doing here?"

"My job," Rumple responded as he walked in. He could see that something was clearly wrong with the blonde but knew he couldn't concentrate on that at the minute. "Now go, I'll take over."

"But I was given strict instruction–"

"Which I am pulling rank on," the Dark One interrupted. "I am your senior, Rogers. When I tell you to leave and let me interrogate the suspect, you do as I order."

Roger's eyes narrowed before he nodded. "Fine." He threw the packet with the hairgrip onto the table and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The loud bang seemed to push Emma further into herself. She was sobbing onto the table, shaking rapidly and the sight broke Rumple's heart. He knew the blonde well enough to know that it wasn't the interrogation that had caused this. Cora had told him of the Pirate's actions towards her and having a man who looked and sounded exactly the same as him, standing over her and demanding things of her, would set her over the edge. No matter how many years had passed.

Slowly, he made his way over to the blonde and crouched beside her. Gently he took hold of her arm. "Emma," he whispered. "It's okay, it's Rumple. He's gone. It's just me."

At the tenderness of his voice, Emma was able to pull herself out of the memories. Rumple had definitely never been there, so it was easier to disassociate herself from them.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I don't know what happened."

Rumple smiled softly. "You don't need to be sorry. Seeing Rogers' behaviour triggered the flashbacks of whatever the _Pirate_," he hissed his moniker as if he it was poison, "did to you. I promise you, you're safe."

Emma swallowed and reached up to wipe her eyes. "How did I get caught?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

Realising Emma didn't want to talk about what had just happened any longer, he stood up before pulling her chair beside her. This was no longer an interrogation.

"Victoria can see through her daughter," Rumple revealed with a sigh. "I thought it would work but apparently she could sense her being shifty all morning, so she purposely went back to her office to prove her thinking right. As you left so rushed, you left the draw open and your hairclip behind." He nodded to the item that was lying on the table. "Of course she didn't know it was you, but she's powerful here. If she says you did it, then you did."

"Are you arresting me then?" She asked.

"Not at all," Rumple replied with a light chuckle. "As I said to Rogers, that clip could belong to anyone and as we definitely do not have any DNA testing here, it would have to be sent away, but if I do this," he picked up the bag and pulled the clip out before bending the wire back and twisting it, "their evidence has been messed with and they have no proof."

At his action, Emma's eyes flashed to the recording device and the cameras in the corner of the room and raised her eyebrow.

"There's never tape in there and I turned the CCTV off before I arrived," Rumple explained and Emma laughed at his thoroughness.

However, she was still a little confused how the Dark One knew to be there in the first place. "I thought you were going to see Cora tonight?"

"I was," Rumple said, "but when you hadn't text her to let her know you'd arrived safely at work, she got worried. She went to Roni's who explained what happened before she called me to intercept. I was already aware of what was going on, but I didn't know when to interrupt so that it didn't look like I was being corrupt." He swallowed. "I'm sorry I got here too late."

Emma reached out and squeezed Rumple's hand. "Don't be. I need to learn how to disassociate myself from him." She exhaled slowly. "I have never reacted like that because of what happened. I thought I had no PTSD from what happened, but I guess it was because he wasn't there to remind me of what happened." She shivered. "I thought I was stronger than this."

"You are one of the strongest women I know," Rumple said sincerely. "You, Regina and Zelena have the strongest resilience I've ever witnessed. You are incredibly powerful. Cora too," he added as an afterthought, but Emma could see through him. Cora was clearly on the top of his list, but he didn't want to put any emphasis there.

Emma wanted to delve deeper into this, but again, now was not the time. Whatever was going on between Cora and Rumple was for them to sort out. Instead, she smiled softly. "Thanks."

"When the curse breaks, everything will be fine," Rumple reassured her. "Nook, as Zelena took to calling the new version, is much better than the original. His manners and attitude are much more positive than him and he knows when to shut up which is a trait I personally look for in everyone." Emma laughed, unable to help it. She was finding that she approved of Rumple's sense of humour as it was pretty similar to hers. "We get on quite well as we both have a fondness for Alice."

The blonde tilted her head, silently asking for more information.

"She's incredibly powerful," Rumple continued. "Her magic is nothing I've ever seen. It's wish-based and it's fascinating to watch. I was helping her to master it while learning about it at the same time. It's completely different to say mine, yours or Cora's. She became my protégé and we grew quite close. I'll do anything I can to protect her and Nook and I put our differences aside for her benefit."

"I wish there was magic here," Emma sighed as she sat up. "It would make things a whole lot easier. Can't you bring it back like you did in Storybrooke?"

Rumple's eyes flickered to the side, avoiding Emma's gaze. The movement alone answered her question.

"You're already planning something, aren't you?" She predicted. "That was your next step to the plan, but you didn't want to tell us in case it went wrong."

"You are far too much like Cora," Rumple chuckled and Emma knew it wasn't an insult. If anything, it was a compliment. He rolled his eyes. "But yes, we are trying to figure out how to bring it back. Last time it was simply pouring a potion into the well, but we don't have that here."

Emma thought about it for a moment. "What about the troll?" She suggested. "It worked to help with the memory potion. Why not use it somehow to get magic back?"

"That's one idea," he murmured. "We could try it, I suppose, but I think it needs to be something liquid."

"Wait for a storm? It's Seattle, we won't have to wait long," she chuckled. "We can manipulate the flow of water so that it collects in the gap of his arm and fill it. Pour the potion in there and then see if that works."

Rumple contemplated her suggestion for a moment before his lips slowly spread into a grin. "I think that would work," he said quietly. There was an edge of excitement to his voice, but not too much so he didn't get his hopes up. "We would need to make sure no one was around and Lennie cannot be there in case anything happened."

Emma nodded solemnly. "Definitely," she agreed but she couldn't help the smile at the fondness in Rumple's voice about his granddaughter. With the time they'd spent together, they had grown a tight bond already and it was a joy to watch. "How long until we try it?"

"We can start brewing the potion imminently but as for the storm, we'll have to wait and see when it comes."

"I'll keep an eye out on the weather." Emma sighed as she took in her surrounding, remembering where she was. "What are we going to do about this?" She motioned to the room. "How will you let me go?"

"You'll be released with inconclusive evidence," Rumple said. They both glanced to the broken clip. "Plus, no one can be arrested because someone said you were there. Victoria has no proof as Ivy shut the CCTV off before you arrived. There's no footage of you being there so really, Victoria has no leg to stand on. You're fine."

Emma released a sigh of relief. "Good," she murmured. "But what are you going to do when Victoria comes in all guns blazing that you let me go?"

"I'll tell her what I said to you with the evidence," Rumple shrugged. "Besides, I am not scared of Rapunzel Tremaine."

At the name reveal, Emma's jaw dropped. "No, you've got to be kidding me. _She's_ Rapunzel? No way, her hair is too short."

Again, Rumple rolled his eyes. "She cut it after she escaped from the tower," he said as if it was obvious. "She couldn't run away from Gothel with mile long hair."

"Gothel? She trapped her?" Emma asked, very confused. "Then how did Victoria get her to work for her?"

"Blackmail," Rumple said simply. "It works wonders. Though I am still unsure of the specifics. We sent Nook in to learn more, but it didn't work. He came back with a glaze in his eyes as if he'd seen the devil. I never learnt what happened because Henry was then cursed and that overtook everything else."

Emma frowned as she always did when she heard of her son's condition. Her heart ached to see him and have him remember her. The blank look he'd given her when she saw him tore through her chest. Even when he turned up on her doorstep all those years ago, he had a familiar glint in his eye that he knew exactly who she was despite never meeting. Yet then, there was nothing.

"We'll get him back, Emma," Rumple said, guessing where Emma's thoughts had gone.

The blonde nodded before sighing. "I know." She then stood up and stretched out. "Can I leave yet? I am meant to be working and Roni will be worried after watching me get arrested. Well Cora and Zelena probably will be too."

Rumple glanced at his watch and saw that the two had been sitting there for well over an hour. "Enough time has passed so we can let you go," he said as he too stood up. "Wait here for ten while I go reset the CCTV and put the clip in the bin in my office. Rogers won't think to look through there because he knows Weaver would kill him."

Emma let out a nervous chuckle and she didn't put it past the scary detective to kill over something as minor as that, as ironic as it was for a police office to do such a thing. While he was gone, Emma tried to think about what had happened in the last two hours. So many emotions and thoughts had rushed through her brains he was rather overwhelmed.

Firstly, her plan to talk to Roni had clearly flown out the window; the other woman surely wouldn't want to talk about that tonight after what had happened. It would have to wait for another day.

Secondly, she had been arrested…again. Thought this time, she technically had committed the crime but had got off scot free whereas last time, she most definitely did not do the crime but did the time. Life clearly loved to laugh at her sometimes.

Then everything that had happened at the police station had sent her into a spin. However, as her thoughts returned to the forefront of her mind, she quickly shook her head to stop them. Finally, there was the discussion with Rumple about magic coming to Hyperion Heights and learning that Victoria was actually Rapunzel. She could almost laugh at the stupidity of it.

However, soon enough, Rumple returned and the two were walking to his car in silence. "Where do you want to go?" He asked, not wanting to presume the blonde would want to go home.

"To Roni's," she admitted. "I want to see her."

Rumple nodded and put the vehicle into drive. The two were silent for the short car journey after having such an in-depth conversation for the past hour and a half. The silence was rather welcome.

Soon enough, Rumple pulled up in front of the pub.

"I'm going to head over to your apartment to talk to Cora," he revealed when Emma was about to ask him why he wasn't joining her. "I'll let her know you're here if you don't come home." He raised his eyebrow, making her blush before he continued. "Let me know if you want picking up."

"Thanks," Emma said, glad off the offer and conversation change, before she shut the car door behind her.

She watched Rumple drive off before turning back to the pub. Glancing around, she realised that the place was still rather quiet. Sure, it was getting on for ten o'clock on a Monday evening, but that hadn't stopped people before.

However, as Emma stepped into the pub, she could feel a new tension around her. The room was empty except for one person standing in front of the bar. Her hair was still curled and she was still wearing her tank top and jeans but there was something very different about her stance which Emma hadn't seen in years. The reason dawned on her as she made eye contact with the newly awoken citizen of Hyperion Heights.

"Regina?"


	16. Chapter 16

At first, Emma thought she was completely wrong and Roni wasn't awake as her facial expression didn't change to show she was familiar with the name. However, that changed when she stepped forward and spoke.

"We're not having this conversation here," she muttered lowly. "Follow me."

Emma swallowed nervously before she followed the brunette towards Roni's apartment. Again, it was not the time to look around as Regina made her way over to her liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whisky along with two glasses. The former mayor poured out their drinks before placing one down in front of the blonde.

"How are you awake?" Emma asked, not touching her glass. She was terrified of how the conversation was about to unfold.

"My daughter woke me!" Regina all but yelled. She slammed her glass down on the table, ignoring the way the liquid splashed over the side. "But I didn't know she was my daughter because her other mother didn't tell me she was even pregnant."

"What?" Emma gasped, ignoring Regina's comment for that minute. "How did she wake you?"

"With a memory potion that she stole from her grandmother," Regina snapped. "You've brought her up well, haven't you? It's clearly a good thing that I raised Henry!"

That stung and Emma winced, tears threatening to fall. She swallowed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I was going to tell you." Regina scoffed. "I really was. I had it all planed. I was going to tell you the day Henry called us saying he needed help. It was on the tip of my tongue but then he called and you were leaving and wouldn't let me come with you. God, I wish I had." She winced again and Regina's anger softened as she remembered what Emma had said about her ex.

"Then you should have stopped me from going!" Regina seethed. "I had every right to know that you were carrying my child!"

Emma couldn't stop the tears that were streaming down her face. "I know," she sobbed. "You don't know how sorry I am about it all. It's all my fault. All my fault."

Automatically, Emma pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, beginning to rock back and forth, unable to stop the tears. The phrase, "all my fault" on repeat.

At the scene, Regina started to freak out a little, but she was frozen in her seat.

"Emma?" She called out cautiously, but she realised what was going on. Slowly, she reached out and took hold of Emma's hand. "I'm sorry about what happened," she murmured, bringing the noise level down. Hearing and seeing Emma's reaction to being left behind wracked her with guilt, immediately knowing what had flashed through her mind. "I wish I'd known."

"It didn't start really until after you'd gone," she whispered. "Well, mainly it started after you'd left and when your mother arrived."

"Yes, that was a shock to the system when my memories came back," Regina said breathlessly. "Are you alright?"

Emma nodded and swallowed. "Yeah." She brought her knees back down, but her arms stayed wrapped around her. "It's been a tough night."

The two were silent for a moment, Emma sipping her whisky for a distraction.

"We clearly have a lot of things to get off our chests. What should we start with?" Emma asked when the silence got too much, placing the tumbler onto the coffee table in front of her.

"How about what happened after I left Storybrooke?" Regina suggested and Emma nodded. She picked her whisky back up and downed the rest in two sips, knowing she would need the liquid courage to get through the night, before her tale unfolded.

She told Regina about how she grew quite close to Zelena after the mayor had gone who in turn had grown rather fond of the new mayor, Maleficent. When Regina didn't look surprised, Emma realised that Zelena must have informed her sister all about that saga, so she quickly skipped ahead.

The next tale combined Cora's return and Snow's behaviour. It was clearly difficult for Regina to hear how wonderfully nice her mother had treated Emma and how she'd been like a mother to her when Cora had never been that way for her actual daughters. However, for the most part of this tale, Regina was just angry at Snow.

"She actually made you choose between them moments after you gave birth?" She asked incredulously and Emma nodded. "Just when I thought her actions wouldn't surprise me."

"Yep," Emma replied before her eyes darkened. "But that wasn't the worst part of that day."

The then went onto tell her about getting back from the hospital and Killian realising he wasn't Elena's father. She still wasn't fully sure how he knew but didn't want to ask. As she'd already told Roni about her past with Killian, Emma didn't want to repeat it now and Regina was fine with that.

"Then Cora came to save us," Emma murmured. "She told me to pack my things, and Elena's, and that we were leaving. Zelena came with us and we went to Wonderland and lived there for seven years."

Emma's tales were then about what they had gotten up to in Wonderland from Lennie finding her magic and her bond to animals, Regina did roll her eyes at that, to Robyn choosing to give her magic to her mother because she didn't want it, before Zelena and Robyn left to find Mal.

"It was about a year after they'd gone that the note came," Emma said as she picked up her newly refilled drink as Regina had realised her glass was empty. "It said you and Henry were in danger and I needed to help you. It was an easy decision to make and now we're here. When we arrived, I called in a favour with someone I helped out years ago during my bailbonds days and got somewhere to live and we've been trying to solve this curse ever since."

Silence surrounded them once more as the two tried to wrap her heads around what had happened in the past to lead up to that moment. For Emma, it was reliving that time again and for Regina, it was learning all about it for the first time.

"How did Lennie wake you with the stolen potion?" Emma asked quietly. "She shouldn't have even been here tonight."

Now it was time for Regina's story. Following Emma's example, she took a few hefty sips of her whisky before placing it down on the table.

"About twenty minutes after Rogers took you, you'll have to tell me about all of that at some point by the way," she added, "Mother came down with Lennie. Zee was working as you suggested, so Mother had no option than to bring Lennie with her. She was worried because you hadn't text her to say you got to work which apparently you always do?" Emma nodded and Regina chuckled. "Sorry, just the idea that my mother has a cell phone and she can actually use it is a little crazy," she explained when Emma tilted her head in confusion.

The blonde then laughed quietly at that too. "You should have seen the first time she used it. I thought she was going to launch it at my head!"

Regina shook her head in disbelief but still chuckled quietly before sobering up. "Anyway, she came in all flustered and worried that you hadn't let her know and she had a gut instinct something had gone wrong. I then told her about you getting arrested and who had taken you. She was silent for a few moments before she asked me to watch Lennie while she made a phone call."

"She called Rumple to get me out of there," Emma said and Regina nodded.

"Yes, she told me afterwards," Regina replied slowly. "So, while Mother was making her phone call, I had to keep serving the odd customer and entertain your, well apparently our, seven-year-old. She's very intuitive that one. She kept asking me what was going on between us." Regina's face flushed as she admitted it. "I told her the truth which was that nothing was going on. That we're friends?" Her voice went up at the end, unintentionally turning the sentence into a question but Emma ignored it for now. "It was then that I got a few customers and Zee was already working flat out at the other end of the bar, so I had to pause Lennie's questions and serve. However, while I was doing that, I left my drink unattended. When I took a sip of it afterwards, everything came rushing back about my life, my real life. I realised all the drama with Kelly was fake and that my sister wasn't actually a bitch, well that much of a bitch, and I remembered everything that was going on with Henry. Then it hit me that my mother, my real mother, wasn't dead and was currently in the back of my cursed persona's pub on the phone! It was crazy. However, what topped it off was when I looked back at Lennie, because it was obvious who had spiked my drink, and she was grinning at me and just yelled, 'Mom!' and rushed towards me and hugged me. I was so confused that I pulled back and just said, 'I'm not your mother, that's Emma,' and that's when she started to cry."

Emma bit her lip nervously. "I never told her that you didn't know," she admitted quietly, almost silently. "She knew that you left while I was pregnant but she's too young to know what that could mean. Every time I was going to tell her, something happened which stopped me or interrupted me." She swallowed. "I'm a terrible mother."

Regina reached out and squeezed her knee and Emma tried not to sigh in contentment at the touch. "You're not. I didn't mean what I said earlier. I was just angry. She really is fantastic." She took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "Mother came back seconds afterwards and said Rumple was on his way to save you, which again baffled me. Is there something going on between them?"

"I keep asking the same thing," Emma murmured which made Regina shiver slightly. Clearly, she hadn't been informed about Rumple being her father yet.

"So, Mother came back and realised that I remembered and that Lennie was confused and upset," Regina continued. "I think Mother was torn between wanting to talk to me and comfort Lennie. Zee came over and suggested they went home because being at the pub was not the best place to be with that kind of revelation, but once they left, I couldn't concentrate on being Roni. I needed to be Regina again, so I shut the place down for the night at about nine. I mean, there weren't that many people there, but they were a little disgruntled at being told to leave. I just needed a clear head. Zelena offered to stay and listen if I needed to talk but I needed to be alone. I saw Rumple pull up outside, so I came down. At first, I thought he was coming to speak to me, but I'm glad it was you."

She then moved her hand that had been resting on Emma's knee, the place it had been was now feeling very cold, before reaching for a note pad in front of them. She flicked through the pages.

"After I closed, I started writing everything I could remember about the curse and Henry's condition," she murmured as she pointed to different points in the book. "Like the symptoms if I'm too close to him, or Ivy, because Gothel modified the curse each time she put it against him." She then shut the book. "But then once I'd done that, I realised that I now have more than one child to worry about and I started to think about Elena. Now that I know, I can tell she looks like me and acts like me too, but my main question that's been running over and over in my mind is how did I even get you pregnant? I didn't know it was possible for two women."

"I've been asking the same question," Emma said slowly. "I found one theory, but I don't think it's right."

"How so?"

At the question, Emma shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. She turned from looking at the brunette and stared at the street lamp through the window as the curtains had yet to be shut.

"Because I tried to prove the theory right when we were here last and it did nothing," she said, slightly bitterly. Still looking away, she gathered her courage to tell the woman what she'd been thinking. "I read in a book in Wonderland, years ago, that two women could conceive a child together magically if they were True Loves," she whispered the last two words as if they were a secret. She heard Regina's breath hitch, but she continued as if she hadn't. "But then we've kissed since being here and it didn't break the curse on your memories or the main curse in general and True Love's Kiss is meant to break anything." The blonde's voice cracked, showing the emotion she was trying to hide.

"Emma, look at me." Regina's voice was soft, but the instruction was clear. Slowly, Emma turned to the brunette who saw that the blonde was crying, tears streaming down her face. "But if you thought we were True Loves," she too whispered the words, "surely that would mean that you–"

"I love you," Emma confessed, cutting the brunette off. The alcohol pumping through her veins and the fact she couldn't keep it in any longer encouraging her to be truthful. "I have for a very long time. That night we spent together is ingrained into my mind." She took a deep breath. "Perhaps because I loved you so much, that created Elena."

Regina was quiet as she processed what the blonde was saying. It was music to her ears, a symphony she'd wanted to hear for the longest of times. "But I got you pregnant," she said quietly. "If Lennie was created from your love, then I would have become pregnant."

"What are you saying?" Emma asked, not wanting to read between the lines and get it wrong.

Slowly, Regina raised her hand and cupped Emma's cheek gently, softly thumbing the skin and wiping away her tearstains. She shifted a fraction forward until their noses were almost touching.

"What I'm saying," Regina whispered, and Emma could feel her breath on her lips, "is that I love you too, Emma Swan."

Not even a second passed and Emma's lips were on Regina's, kissing her both softly but passionately. Their tongues joined and danced as if they were one. Emma brought her hands up to Regina's waist, pulling her closer as the kiss took her breath away. When they couldn't breathe, they pulled back and rested their foreheads against each other.

"There's still so much we need to talk about," Emma breathed, not wanting to ruin the moment but knowing it needed to be said.

"We'll have time for it later," Regina replied just as quietly. "I want to feel you again." She pulled back before she stood up and held her hand out. "Come with me?"

There was no hesitation as Emma stood up, accepting the brunette's hand and allowed herself to be pulled into the brunette's bedroom.

Emma had barely stepped over the threshold to the bedroom before Regina's lips were on hers again, teasing them deliciously and nipping her bottom lip. The brunette's hands were already toying with the bottom of Emma's t-shirt, teasing the skin at the bottom of her back with her fingertips.

Reaching up, Emma threw her jacket onto the floor before pulling her t-shirt off, wanting to feel Regina's fingers on her entire body, before sealing their lips together again.

Regina blindly led them towards her bed and had every intention of pushing Emma down onto the duvet, but the blonde had other ideas. She quickly spun them around and gently pushed the brunette onto the bed, before stepping into the gap between her legs. With the height advantage, Emma was able to pull at Regina's tank top, easing over her head. When her lacy blood red bra was revealed, Emma thought she was going to pass out with happiness.

There was a teasing glint in Regina's eyes that proved that she knew just what her bra was doing to the blonde.

"Get rid of my jeans and you may be in for a surprise," she husked and Emma's mouth went as dry as a desert at just imagining what was coming next.

Not wasting any time, Emma reached forward and gently unbuttoned Regina's jeans, something she never expected the brunette to wear. Part of her wanted to inch the offending item down slowly so she could tease herself with the reveal but the other part, which ended up winning, just wanted to see everything. Quickly, she rid the brunette of her jeans and the matching lacy red thong was revealed. Emma now knew that she had died and gone to heaven.

"You are so beautiful," Emma gushed as she leant down and kissed the brunette with everything she had.

"So are you," Regina murmured against the blonde's lips. "Let me see."

Emma blushed at the compliment, but she obliged. Taking a small step back, she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off, along with her socks before she threw them onto the floor behind her, not caring where they landed.

While the blonde had undressed, Regina had slipped further back onto the bed so that she was resting in the centre. Emma then crawled up to meet her, resting her body over the brunette's. Regina wasted no time before closing their lips together and pulling Emma down so their bodies were flushed together, needing to feel her skin on hers.

Regina allowed her hands to roam while their tongues battled. She teasingly slipped her fingertips up Emma's sides, smirking into the kiss when she felt Emma shiver before the found Emma's bra clasp. With a practised ease, though Emma didn't know how she was so good, Regina unclasped the hook and pulled the item down Emma's shoulders, their kiss pausing a second while Emma pulled the bra away and threw it onto the floor.

As she was back to her normal self, Regina cringed a little at the fact her bedroom floor was now a wardrobe but when Emma's tongue and lips started making their way up her jaw line before sucking her earlobe into her mouth, she forgot about it.

With her mouth free, Regina couldn't help the moans that slipped out at the attention. She had always adored her ears being played with and Emma's actions were no different. However, she was getting a little restless at being on the bottom. Using her strength, she flipped the two over and settled herself over Emma's hips, smirking satisfyingly at the blonde's shock.

"My turn," she husked before reaching up and undoing her bra. "God, I wish we had magic so I didn't have to move to remove our panties."

"We don't need magic for that, my love," Emma replied as she reached up. She grasped Regina's panties and simply ripped them off her. "I'll buy you a new pair."

The brunette couldn't even be angry as she felt Emma's thigh underneath her bare core, the touch was indirect but delicious. Her hips started moving on their own accord, seeking out the friction.

"Oh, I don't think so," Emma murmured as she rested her hand on Regina's hip, ceasing her movement. "I'm not letting you come on my leg, I want to feel you."

She pulled Regina down so that their bare breasts were brushing against each other, their nipples rubbing deliciously together. She then trailed her fingers between Regina's legs, silently requesting the brunette to open her legs and let them in. The request was immediately granted and Emma could feel how wet the brunette was and she released a breathy moan.

Slowly, she started trailing her finger through sopping wet folds, teasing the brunette when she didn't settle anywhere.

"Emma!" The shout was half a moan and half a warning that she needed to be touched.

Emma chuckled before she brought the pads of her fingers up to Regina's clit and started slowly circling her bundle of nerves, briefly soaking in the sounds of Regina's moans and gasps of delight before sealing their lips together once more. Gently, her movements started to increase in power and the circles grew smaller and more defined.

"I need more," Regina breathed, cutting of their kiss and resting her forehead against the blonde's for a second before she dipped her head and sucked one of Emma's taunt nipples into her mouth.

With the sudden attention, Emma's mind forgot the brunette's request until Regina subtly reminded her with a sharp nip of her teeth. At the action, Emma remembered and started to move her fingers from Regina's clit before sliding two home inside her. Regina moaned at the feel of it and it caused satisfying vibrations around Emma's nipple.

"Deeper," Regina gasped and Emma wasted no time.

She shifted slightly so that she could angle her hand better and slide deeper into her love. Soon enough, Regina was rocking against Emma's hand, riding her powerfully, calling Emma's name to the room between her loud moans, Emma's nipple now neglected but the blonde didn't care. She curled her fingers so that ever thrust met the spot inside which made Regina see stars while her palm brushed against her clit.

As Regina keened into her climax, her back arching, Emma was suddenly reminded of the night that Lennie was conceived and she wished she'd known that night just how much the two loved each other and that they were in the middle of making a baby together. Part of her wished they were currently doing it all over again, but without magic there, that would clearly be impossible.

Emma was pulled out of her wishes as Regina suddenly slipped off her fingers and off her body in general before settling herself in between Emma's legs. Suddenly she was pulling Emma's black panties down her legs before replacing the fabric with her lips, trailing her tongue through her folds, drinking her down like a fine wine.

"God you're delicious," Regina moaned into her folds before suckling Emma's clit into her mouth and teasing it with the tip of her tongue, never setting in a direction to put her on edge.

"Gin, please," Emma gasped at the sensation as she balled the duvet into hands. She wanted to push down on Regina's head but didn't want to force her into anything she didn't want to do.

Fortunately, the brunette understood the plea as she slipped one, and then two, fingers into the blonde, pumping in time with her suckles. It was enough to send the blonde over the edge almost embarrassingly quickly, and she came, calling Regina's name across the room.

Barely a moment after her climax calmed, Emma was pulling the brunette up so she could kiss her, moaning as she tasted herself on her lips, something she wasn't usually a fan of, but combined with Regina's taste, it was delicious.

The two flopped back on the bed, trying to calm their breathing down before Regina rolled over, cocking one leg over Emma's hip and rested her head on one arm. Her other reach out and started trailing light patterns over the blonde's heaving chest.

"Is it time to talk yet?" Regina asked quietly, not stopping her movements.

Emma shivered at the sensation. "No," she replied, before she smirked, "we've barely even begun."

And with that, she gently pushed Regina over so that she was lying on her back before kissing down her body, ravishing each other over and over again.


	17. Chapter 17

When Emma awoke the next morning, her first thought was that she didn't recognise where she was. The room back at the apartment was painted sky blue with white and light brown furnishings. As her eyes fluttered opened, she was met with a deep purple bedroom with dark mahogany furnishings. Panic started to run through her body before she heard a grunt beside her.

"Too early," the voice mumbled.

Looking over, Emma recognised the beautiful brunette beside her and relaxed immediately. The two had finally passed out around two am, too exhausted to continue. Regina had snuggled into Emma's side, but she must have gotten too hot in the night as she was now at the other side of the bed.

Emma chuckled before glancing at the bedside table. It was just past eight am which was when Emma was used to getting up as Lennie was a morning person. She had always thought that had been a trait she must have picked up from Regina as she had presumed the mayor was a morning person, but either that was a misconception or Roni had been the opposite.

"Good morning," Emma murmured as she shuffled over to the brunette. She slipped her arm around her waist and pulled her hair away form her neck, pressing a soft kiss behind her ear making Regina press up against the blonde's front. "Are you going wake up for me?"

"No," Regina replied, her voice still thick of sleep.

"Well that's not the right answer," Emma teased. "I'll just have to figure out a way to wake you up."

Her soft kiss behind Regina's ear turned into a trail of wet kisses down her neck before she settled on her pulse point, sucking lightly. Regina sighed contently at the attention.

"Are you going to wake up now?" Emma asked again.

"No," Regina repeated but this time there was a mischievous edge in her voice.

Emma sighed mockingly exasperatedly before leaning back. "I guess my efforts are wasted then. No point me being here."

Finally, Regina stopped pretending to be asleep as she flipped over, reaching to Emma's hands as soon as she was settled. "Don't leave."

Emma chuckled as she gently pulled on Regina's hands, shifting her so that she was straddling her hips. "I wasn't going anywhere."

Regina scowled but leant down to kiss Emma softly anyway. She rested her hand on Emma's abs, trailing the faded stretch marks absentmindedly.

"They're from Henry," Emma murmured softly. "For some reason I didn't get any extra ones with Lennie."

Slowly, Regina looked up from her hands. "I wish I'd known."

Emma sighed. She reached out to rest her hands over Regina's hips, lightly touching the top of her ass. "Me too. I had no idea what I was doing when she was born. If I didn't have Cora and Zelena, I probably would have gone crazy."

"How did you come up with her name?" Regina asked.

"Elena means shining light," Emma replied as her thumbs started gently circling over Regina's skin. She smiled softly as she felt the brunette shiver in delight on top of her. "She was my shining light at the time and her middle name is Coraline, after Cora, and her surname is Swan. Like me."

"It's a beautiful name," Regina commented before she slowly slipped off Emma's lap and curled into her side. "I love it and I already love her. I can't wait to get to know her."

Emma smiled softly. "She can't wait to get to know you." She took a deep breath. "We should probably head over. Well I should. I've never had a night away from her and I miss her. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"I want to," Regina said quickly.

"But?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "No buts. I want to get to know our daughter."

"Our daughter," Emma repeated, the phrase a little foreign on her tongue. "I've never referred to her as that before. She's always been mine but it's a change I welcome." She pulled Regina closer to her and kissed her softly. "We still have a lot to talk about."

"I know," Regain agreed, "but we have time for that." She then grinned mischievously, clearly planning something. "Now, let's go shower and get going."

As soon as the two were under the hot spray of the shower, Regina's plan came into play as she made love to the blonde again under the water, making Emma scream before returning the favour.

Once they'd finished, almost half an hour later, they finally stepped out and dried off.

Emma glanced around the room looking for her clothes before Regina rolled her eyes. "You can borrow something. Roni's fashion was very much like yours."

The blonde chuckled. "What are you going to wear?"

Regina hesitated. "I should probably keep dressing like Roni so that Victoria doesn't know I'm awake."

"Good thinking."

Regina the pulled a white tank top out of her wardrobe and tossed it to the blonde along with a clean pair of panties.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Emma saw Regina was again wearing matching underwear but this time black and lacy and it took all of her restraint not to take them off her again.

Emma distracted herself by requesting the brunette's hairdryer. She roughly dried her hair until it was mostly dry so that Regina could take over. As she dried her hair, Emma realised that Regina's hair was naturally wavy, not quite as defined as her own, but definitely not straight.

She stepped up behind her and started running her fingers through her waves. "You're so beautiful."

Regina blushed as she leant into Emma's body. "You're ridiculous. Give me ten to do my makeup and then we'll be good to go."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "You don't need it."

"Roni doesn't go without it," she argued but Emma knew what that meant; Regina didn't go without it either.

Emma simple rolled her eyes before kissing the brunette's cheek. "I'll go make us some breakfast." She took a few steps towards the door before she paused. "Umm, where's the kitchen?"

Regina laughed and pointed the blonde in the right direction.

Once Emma had found the kitchen, she started prepping each of them a slice of toast and a coffee. She was just grateful that Regina's, well Roni's, coffee machine was the same that Regina had back in Storybrooke, so she was pretty familiar with it.

Before long, Regina stepped into the kitchen with her eyes smoky and her lips red and thanked the blonde for the food and drink. Once they had finished, they couldn't put off leaving any longer.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

Regina took a deep breath before nodding. She took hold of Emma's proffered hand. "Let's go."

They made their way through the streets of Hyperion Heights, making sure to keep the conversation light, talking about the weather, before they reached Emma's apartment.

Once they were outside the door, Emma turned to Regina. "You still good?"

"Just open the door, Em," she sassed with a roll of her eyes, making Emma chuckle and she did as requested.

Slowly, Emma opened the door wide and was greeted with more eyes than she was expecting. She had thought that only Cora and Elena would be there, but Zelena, Ivy and Rumple were all staring back at her.

"Mom!" Lennie called as she pushed back from the kitchen table and started running towards them. Emma braced herself, ready to accept her daughter's embrace, but she was highly disappointed when Lennie ran straight to Regina who realised at the last second where Lennie was headed and opened her arms for her. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Emma swallowed as she took in the scene. Lennie's eyes were bright and wide with a happiness she'd never witnessed before. She was grinning from ear to ear as she hugged her brunette mother tightly. Emma's breath hitched as she tried not to let the rejection take over her, especially when Lennie reached for Regina's hand after she let go of the hug, not even coming over to Emma. Never before had Emma spent the full night away from her daughter, and this was her welcome?

Glancing up, she saw Zelena was looking at her with a sympathetic smile, but she didn't want to accept it. Instead, she turned to Ivy.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," she murmured.

"I came to apologise about yesterday," Ivy said. She wasn't even looking at Regina in surprise that she was awake. Clearly one of the others had already filled her in. "If I had known that Mother would have had you arrested, I'd have never suggested it."

Emma waved her off. "Forget about it. I'm fine. It was useful though, I know where Gothel is and who she is while she's here."

"Mom, can I show you my room?" Lennie asked before Emma could continue.

Regina looked up at the blonde and she could see the clear discomfort in her face, but Lennie was pulling on her hand. "Sure, honey," she said and allowed her daughter to pull her out the room.

Emma watched them leave and there was an ache on her heart that she couldn't describe. She turned towards the others in the room. "How does she know?" She asked. "Regina said she'd told her she wasn't her mother?"

Cora looked sheepish. "I told her everything last night. I thought she knew."

Emma swallowed when Cora raised her eyebrow. "I hadn't gotten around to telling her."

When Cora looked like she was about to respond, Zelena jumped in. "What were you saying about Gothel?"

The blonde shot her sister a grateful smile. "She goes by Eloise Gardener," she revealed. "She's somewhere in Belfrey Tower. That's all it said for location." She glanced at Ivy. "Do you have idea where she could be."

Ivy paused to think. "I've never been to the top floors. Mother has never let me."

"Then that'll be where she is," Zelena snarked. "Why else wouldn't she let you up there?"

At that, Ivy shrunk back in her seat. With a sigh, Emma sat beside her and glared at Zelena. "That was unnecessary."

"Sorry," the witch muttered. "I just want all this to be over. Everyone is slowly but surely waking up. It's only a matter of time before Victoria and Jacinda are onto us."

"They're still clueless," Ivy revealed. "Which is good."

"No," Cora said, speaking for the first time. "I think they need to know that people are waking up. It might panic them into doing something."

Rumple nodded. "I agree." He then glanced towards the hallway where Regina and Lennie had disappeared. "Though with how Lennie is reacting with Regina, it'll be more than obvious."

The truth of the comment stung Emma as she thought of it. She had expected her daughter to be happy that Regina was awake, but she hadn't thought she would just be dropped. It brought back the memories of Snow and Charming choosing Neal over her because he was new and exciting. There was always a niggle at the back of her head that Cora would drop her now that Regina was back and she had her two daughters again. What seemed like a big family was starting to close on her and she was overwhelmed.

"Emma?" At the call of her name, she realised that she'd been spaced out for a while. Looking up, she saw the others looking at her with concern.

"Sorry, what?"

"We were saying that we should have an event at the pub," Cora said, showing that she had been the one to call Emma's name. "Something that will pull Victoria and Jacinda there. They'll be able to see that Regina is awake and Ivy can go over to Henry's and try and work on him. True Love's Kiss and all that?"

At the term, Zelena turned to her mother, her eyes raised in bewilderment. "Right, who are you and what have you done with my mother?" She asked incredulously. "You don't talk about True Love and True Love's Kiss. You don't even talk about love in general."

Cora rolled her eyes. "I do now," she said simply and didn't expand. However, Emma saw the way she reached out and gently caressed Rumple's hand. "We just need to talk about it with Regina."

"Talk to me about what?" Asked the person in question.

Regina walked back into the living room, Lennie's hand still tightly in hers before she sat beside Emma. Automatically, Lennie sat on Regina's lap and leant into her. Emma tried not to be jealous at it, but she could feel it rising inside her.

Realising what was going on, Regina reached out and squeezed her knee, but Emma's feeling didn't stop.

"Mother thinks you should have an event on at the pub to attract Victoria and Jacinda," Zelena answered Regina's question. "Though unless it's a live execution, I doubt they'd be interested."

"Zee!" Cora warned, nodding towards Lennie who looked a little worried. Clearly, she knew what an execution was.

"Sorry," Zelena muttered again, "or we could get a singer?"

Regina nodded. "We have one coming in next week actually. He's been before but they've not come to see him so I don't know if they will this time."

"I'll sort it out," Ivy said. "Leave it to me." When the others went to question what she meant, she shook her head. As she went to reply, her phone started to ring. "And that's my mother again," she sighed as she picked up her bag and stood up. "I have to go."

As she walked out the door, the others heard her connect the call and ensure her mother that she was on her way to the office after getting held up on the way. Emma glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost half-nine. She wasn't sure what time Ivy started work, but even she knew a cock and bull story when she heard one.

Once the door shut behind her, all eyes turned to Regina and Emma.

"So?" Zelena raised her eyebrow at the pair. "What's going on here?"

Regina simple raised her eyebrow in return to her sister and rolled her eyes. "What do you think, Zee?" She then turned to Lennie on her lap. "Can you give us a few minutes to talk?"

At the request, Lennie's brows furrowed. "But I just got you back?"

"I'm not leaving," Regina promised. "I just need to talk to the others for a little while and then your mom and I will come and talk to you. Okay?"

At the reassurance, Lennie nodded. She still didn't seem to happy, but she climbed off Regina's lap and walked out of the room and towards her bedroom.

"Where do you want to start?" Regina asked, looking at the others.

Zelena smirked. "How about with that hickey on your neck!"

Regina's hand flew up to her neck before she turned to Emma, her eyes wide.

"There's no hickey," Emma assured her before glaring at Zelena. "Pack it in."

The brunette glowered at her sister too. "Be glad I don't have my magic back along with my memories."

"Not yet anyway," Rumple said quietly. "But Emma came up with an idea yesterday."

With that, between Emma and Rumple, they filled the others in on how they wanted to bring magic to Hyperion Heights. They decided that Cora and Rumple would work on the potion as they had the most experience with creating something so powerful and Zelena offered to help when she could.

"What about Henry?" Regina asked, panicked. "If magic is back, won't that curse his heart again?"

Rumple shook his head. "I don't believe so, not if he doesn't remember. The block on his memories should keep the block on the curse. It is imperative that both he and Rogers remain under the curse as long as possible until we find a curse."

"Once we've brought magic back, we'll be able to work on providing an antidote," Cora assured her daughter.

"But Mother, surely you're right? It's the Dark Curse, the only antidote is just True Love's Kiss?" Regina said, confused.

"Well clearly we can't rely on it," Zelena said. "If anyone here are True Loves, it's you two and if your kiss didn't break the curse, surely nothing will!"

Emma and Regina glanced at each other and shyly smiled at each other. Regina squeezed her knee softly and Emma leant into her side.

"Ugh, you two are making me feel sick," Zelena continued, feigning gagging into the plant pot beside her.

"Then look away now," Regina warned before she pulled Emma in for a gentle kiss. Partially wanting to wind up her sister but also because she wanted to kiss the blonde next to her. She was already worried about her actions at how Lennie reacted to her.

Emma kissed her back softly before she glanced at the room. "I'm not sure if we are, though I hope we are," she added when Regina frowned. "But maybe because Gothel doesn't know me, she didn't build me into the curse." She glanced at Rumple. "I was built into your curse to break it, wasn't I?" Rumple nodded. "So surely something has to be built into this one. Like my parent are True Loves," her face contorted with pain as she mentioned them, "and they kissed loads during the original curse and didn't break it." She glanced at Regina. "So we may be True Loves but we're not the couple to break the curse, well not solely anyway. Now we just need to find out who is. We need more help, more brains to help come up with a solution."

Regina glanced at her sister who was still pretending to be repulsed. "Maybe it's time you called Robyn. She needs to come home if we're breaking the curse. It won't reach her wherever she is now if it gets broken."

Zelena sighed and looked at Rumple. "Do you have any more memory potion? I don't want her here if she can't remember. That's too much."

"But it's unfair to her to remember and Alice not," Rumple said. "Victoria is persistent with Tilly's, Alice's other persona, medication which knocks her out. I don't want Robyn to see her that way because Alice will be upset."

"Can't we wake up Alice too then?" Emma asked.

"No," Rumple said but he didn't go into details. The look on both Zelena and Regina's faces told her that she shouldn't question it. She knew she could always ask Regina about it.

"Well, while you discuss Robbie, we'd better go talk to Lennie," Emma murmured as she glanced at Regina, silently asking her to join her.

When the brunette nodded, the two stood up and made their way towards their daughter's bedroom.

Once they were outside, Emma knocked quietly before entering. Despite being seven, she still wanted to treat her daughter with respect.

"Mom!" Lennie cheered when they entered. Again, Emma felt her heart shatter a fraction when she realised that Lennie was looking directly at Regina and hadn't looked at Emma at all.

Swallowing thickly, Emma moved across the room and perched at the end of the bed, allowing Regina to sit between then because clearly that was what her daughter wanted. With a deep breath, Emma addressed her daughter. "Do you have any questions about what's gone on recently? Your mother and I will answer them as best we can."

Lennie nodded and frowned before looking at Regina. "Grandma said you didn't know about me, why?"

Regina glanced at Emma, wanting to take her lead with this.

With a deep breath, Emma knew the time to be honest with her daughter had arrived. "Because your mother left before I got the chance to tell her I was pregnant with you," she revealed. "The moment she found out she was your other mother was when you gave her the potion last night. I'll also be having a word with you about stealing from your grandmother, young lady."

Lennie gulped at the tone of her mother's voice. Emma had never told her off, even when she and Robyn had pranked her, but she could hear the mild threat in her voice.

"How did you get it?" Emma asked.

"I knew she had a spare in her handbag," Lennie replied nervously. "I took it when she was on the phone to Grandpa and poured it into her drink. I just wanted to meet my other mom properly. I wanted to know her."

"You were always going to get to know her," Emma reminded her. "I promised you that, but you shouldn't have done what you did."

"But it meant she was awake!" Lennie huffed, clearly not understanding Emma's point.

"Just because something happened to work out alright, doesn't meant it was the right thing to do, honey," Regina said softly. "I'm happy you woke me, I needed to wake up, but you shouldn't have stolen from your grandmother or done it without permission."

Tears started to slip from Lennie's eyes as she took in the disappointment on her mothers' faces. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Regina said as she reached out to wipe away Lennie's fallen tears.

Emma had also been about to do the same and her hand stuttered as she realised she didn't need to. It had been years since she'd had to share a child and she'd forgotten what it was like.

"Do you have any other questions?" Regina asked, trying to defuse the tension in the small room.

"Are you two together?" Lennie looked between her mothers, trying to figure it out herself.

Regina glanced at Emma who smiled and nodded. "We are if you want to be?" Emma said softly making Regina grin.

"We are," she affirmed. "But it's very new so we're taking things slow."

Emma scoffed behind her, reminding her of the last night and that morning, but Regina ignored her.

"So many things have happened over the years between the two of us," Regina continued as if Emma hadn't made a noise, "so it's not going to be easy. Amongst all of this, we do need to search for a way to save your brother. Whatever you do, you cannot sneak him a potion like you did with me. Do you understand, Lennie?"

Lennie nodded. "I promise. I'll never steal again."

"Good," Emma said. "I won't punish you for this, but you can't do it again."

"I won't," Lennie insisted.

"Why don't we join the others?" Regina suggested, "Before I have to head back home and get ready for the afternoon shift."

"But I want to spend the day with you!" Lennie said.

Again, Emma shivered at hearing how much her daughter wanted to spend time with Regina and not her.

"We have time," Regina replied. "Now come on, you."

Regina stood up and pulled Lennie's hand to go with her. Naturally she went with her easily. Once they left, Emma also stood up, but she sighed. She really was struggling. On the one hand, she was so happy that Lennie was taking it all so well. She was so above her years it was incredible sometimes. Yet on the other hand, she wished she was a little bit more apprehensive about it all and was a little wary of Regina and leant to Emma more. However, that clearly wasn't the case.

With a sigh, she headed into the living room and saw Zelena was stood by the kettle, making everyone a drink. Lennie and Regina were stood beside her, but Cora and Rumple weren't to be seen.

"Lennie, can you go get your grandma and grandpa to get their drinks?" Zelena asked as she automatically made Lennie some juice and tea for the others.

Regina's brow furrowed. "Grandpa?" She repeated. "How is Rumple Lennie's grandfather?"

"Because he's your dad, idiot," Zelena replied.

At that moment, Regina had gone to put a teaspoon of sugar into her coffee. As she heard the words, the spoon fell from her hand and clattered to the ground as she looked at her sister. "He's my WHAT!?"


	18. Chapter 18

Zelena's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, realising what she'd said. Emma stilled from where she was about to take her tea, but Lennie had already walked out of the room to fetch her grandparents, none the wiser of what had just happened.

When Rumple and Cora walked in with Lennie not even a minute, the room was still surrounded by silence. Regina was completely bewildered at the revelation, Zelena was still in shock that she'd blabbed the secret and Emma was just trying not to say anything so that she didn't accidentally worsen anything.

Lennie looked between her mothers and auntie. "What's wrong?"

Cora also looked between her daughters. "What's happened?"

It was then that Regina's bewilderment turned sour. Her eyes narrowed at her mother. "I'm really hoping Zelena is lying," she said, her voice scarily low, "and that Rumple is not my father and that you haven't been lying to me my entire life."

Cora's swallowed nervously. This was not how she wanted Regina to find out. She shot a glare at Zelena who shrunk back against the counter as if trying to make herself invisible. Rumple coughed quietly, pulling Cora out of her anger towards her eldest before she turned to Regina.

"It's true," she whispered. "Rumple is your father."

Regina scoffed. "Of course it's true!" She snapped. "Because all you ever did to me when I was growing up was lie to me! Every tale you told me about how great of a princess I was, clearly was just a projection of what you wanted. No wonder you forced so many Princess lesson on me because I needed as much help as I could get! But after all that, it just turns out I'm nothing more than the daughter of a miller's daughter and a coward."

"You were a Queen!" Cora retorted, a hint of anger in her voice that Emma had not heard in years. However, her face softened and she took a deep breath. "But I am so sorry about all of that. I should never have pushed you towards the King and I should have been there for you when he mistreated you."

Regina bit her lip as her breath hitched, memories of the past flashing before her eyes. There was nothing more Emma wanted to do that take hold of the brunette to calm her down, but she didn't want to step between the mother and daughter while the moment was quite heated.

Sensing where the conversation was going, Zelena walked forward and took hold of Lennie's hand. "Come with me," she requested. She knew that Emma wouldn't want her overhearing this and that Regina wouldn't want Emma to leave her during this.

Lennie started to complain but when she saw the warning look in her auntie's eye, she accepted defeat and went with her.

Once Lennie was out of the room, Emma released a breath of relief. Even though Zelena was at fault for bringing up this conversation with her tactlessness, at least she picked up the fact that Lennie shouldn't be in earshot of it.

"You've changed your tune," Regina sneered which made Cora shrink back at the fury of her voice.

Emma reached out and took hold of Regina's hand, unable to keep her distance any longer. "She's not the same as she was when you last met," she murmured quietly, trying to calm her down.

"Why didn't you tell me when you were in Storybrooke?" Regina asked, trying to calm her voice at Emma's words, but it wasn't really working.

"It's wasn't the right time," Cora replied quietly. "Regina, there are no words for how sorry I am about everything." She tentatively took a couple of steps forward and took hold of Regina's free hand. She took it as a minor celebration when the brunette didn't pull away. "But I wouldn't go back and change it because we wouldn't have the life we have now, albeit it isn't perfect. Everything in my life led me to having three wonderful daughters, two amazing granddaughters, a fantastic grandson and apparently a great granddaughter, who I really want to get to know. I can't live the rest of my life feeling sorry about what happened because I will drown with guilt."

Regina was quiet as she listened to her mother. It was similar to what she herself had said back in Neverland when she, Emma and Snow were trapped to the tree. She didn't regret a thing in her life because it got her Henry. She realised that just the fact that Cora was apologising meant that she was not the woman she had last met before the underworld. Her mother never apologised, especially if she was in the wrong. She wore her opinions with pride no matter the outcome. Slowly, Regina turned to look Rumple.

"Did you know?" She asked quietly and Emma could hear the hurt in her voice. She was no longer angry at least.

Rumple shook his head. "I found out only a few days ago myself." He swallowed nervously. "I'm not about to ask you to start calling me 'dad' or 'papa', but I would like the dynamic of our relationship to shift slightly to more of a parent and daughter type."

Regina chuckled softly at that. "Like you haven't been watching out for me my entire life." She sighed. "I'm still not happy that you kept this from me," she said to her mother before looking back at Rumple, "but I'd like that."

At that, Regina found herself being pulled into a tight hug from her mother. Tentatively, Rumple closed the gap between them and joined the hug. Regina was a little overwhelmed by it as she could count on one hand how many hugs she'd received from her mother in the past.

Emma then felt a pull on her hand as Regina dragged her into the hug. It was one of the oddest moments in Emma's life, but she accepted it.

Once the moment was over, Emma slipped out of the room to tell Zelena and Lennie that it was safe to return to the living room. When they entered, Regina was standing hesitantly by the sink and Cora and Rumple were sitting around the table, back to discussing the potion to bring back magic.

"Movie time?" Emma suggested and Lennie nodded.

"Can I pick?" She asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Course you can," Emma replied with a smile. However, it soon faltered with her daughter's response.

"Can we watch Finding Dory?" She requested. "Because it's about Dory finding her parents like I found Mom?"

Emma's breath caught in her throat and her eyes started tearing up. Biting her lip, she nodded. "You know how the TV works." She swallowed. "Excuse me."

Without waiting for anyone to say anything, she slipped out of the living room and headed towards her bedroom. Once inside, she shut the door behind her, forcibly enough so that the others would know that she wanted to be alone. She knew Regina wouldn't be able to join her because that would upset Lennie and she just hoped that Zelena would respect her wishes for once.

When she was sure no one was coming, she sat down on the edge of her bed and rested her head in her hands before letting the tears escape. She knew she was being ridiculous, Lennie still loved her and was just excited that she now had both of her mothers in her life, but the years of abandonment had cut in deep and it seemed that the wounds hadn't fully healed. Now they'd been reopened, and it felt as if someone had poured salt into the flesh to deepen the pain.

During all of this, she was angry at herself for getting so jealous over it. She should be happy that she had Regina back, she was ecstatic that she was back, but that was for selfish reasons in her love life, not her daughter's life. For years, she had imagined what it would be like for Regina to meet Lennie, but she'd never fully thought of how Elena would react.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in her room before there was a timid knock on the door.

"Em, it's me," said the voice at the other side.

Swallowing thickly in an attempt to hide the tears in her voice, she called, "I'll be right out."

However, she knew it wasn't convincing and it was proved when Regina opened the door with a hesitant smile. "Can I come in?"

Emma nodded. "Where's Lennie?"

"Watching Doreen or whatever she's called with Zelena," Regina murmured as she entered the room. She took a seat beside the blonde and tentatively held her arm out. Immediately, Emma leant into the embrace and breathed in Regina's scent.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into her neck. "I didn't think I'd react like this."

Regina stroked the blonde's back softly. "I know exactly how you feel," she said softly. "Imagine this. I spent ten years raising my son and then one day, he goes missing and then who brings him back? His other mother. Imagine my shock."

Emma chuckled slightly, still hiding into Regina's neck.

"I had to quickly get used to sharing him and I hated it at first," she continued. "Especially when he preferred her to me. It broke my heart. But I soon realised that just because he loved his other mother, it didn't mean he loved me any less. Em, look at me."

Slowly, Emma pulled back from her hiding place to look at the brunette. Regina gently cupped her face and thumbed away her tears.

"It's going to take a lot of adjustments," she said, "but it's me and you. We can get through anything as long as we're together."

"Together?" Emma repeated. "I like the sound of that."

Regina grinned. "I love the sound of that."

"I love you," Emma said simply.

At the words, Regina's beam grew bigger and she leant forward, nuzzling her nose against the blonde's before she kissed her softly. "I love you too." She kissed her again, slightly longer this time before pulling back. "Now, shall we go finish watching a film about some fish with our daughter before I have to go to work?"

Emma nodded. "Let's go."

The two then headed back to the living room hand in hand before sitting on the sofa. Regina sat at the end to allow Emma to sit in the middle beside their daughter.

Lennie was too involved in the film to fully realise who was next to her. She just leant into the body beside her. When she felt hair tickling her face, she realised it wasn't Regina and Emma tensed a fraction, bracing herself for Lennie's rejection. However, Lennie simply smiled at her mother and nestled herself back down into Emma's side, making her mother's heart sing for joy.

Emma then let herself relax as she watched the film unfold, realising she hadn't actually missed that much as Dory was still looking for her parents, before she felt Regina's head rest on her shoulder at the other side. With her girls beside her, Emma fell like she could conquer anything. Even Zelena's eyeroll at the family didn't discourage her feeling of contentment. The only thing missing now was Henry.

When the film came to an end, Regina regretfully announced that she had to go to work. Despite being awake, she still had to act like Roni.

"But I don't want you to go!" Lennie whined.

Regina opened her arms wide and Lennie rushed forward to embrace her. "I'll see you tomorrow, I promise," she assured her. She pulled back before crouching down in front of her daughter. "I will do my very best so that there won't be a day that goes past where I don't see you." She cupped Lennie's face gently and pressed a kiss to her forehead, chuckling when she left a lipstick mark. She softly wiped it away before standing up.

"I'll walk you out," Emma said softly.

Lennie regretfully let go of Regina before flopping down on the sofa, her arms crossed as she sulked. Emma tried not to chuckle at how much Lennie looked like Henry when he didn't get his way.

When Emma and Regina reached the door, Emma took hold of Regina's hand. "Do you need me to help out tonight?"

Regina shook her head. "It's a Tuesday night. They're always dead. I'll be fine on my own. Stay with Lennie."

The two glanced over to the seven-year-old and saw that Zelena was now joking with her to cheer her up making the two mothers smile.

Emma shuffled nervously. "Do you want to come here after your shift?" She asked. "I mean, you don't have to. Obviously your apartment is right above the pub so it's easier to get to and crash after your shift. But I was maybe hoping that you'd–"

The blonde's rambling was cut off by Regina's lips, swallowing what she was about to say. "I'd love to, but I don't want to wake you up."

"Don't worry about that," Emma said. She reached out and picked up her keys from the bowl beside the door. "So you can let yourself in and you know which room is mine. Have a good shift." She kissed Regina once more before she regretfully pulled back.

"I'll see you later," Regina promised before placing one last kiss to Emma's now slightly tinted red lips and heading out the door.

For the rest of the afternoon, Emma, Zelena and Lennie watched different Disney films. After Finding Dory came Tarzan as Lennie loved the elephant. They paused after that film to make dinner. Cora and Rumple appeared from Cora's bedroom where they had been pouring over her magic books, apparently, to join.

Emma made a huge bowl of mac and cheese which featured broccoli and butternut squash. She had been a little apprehensive how it would turn out, but it was absolutely delicious.

After dinner, Lennie asked if they could watch the new version of Beauty and the Beast. Emma was a little apprehensive to watch it with Rumple in the apartment, but he just smiled softly.

"It's not my story," he murmured. "Not really. Besides," he glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, "I should get going. I have some notes to prepare before a meeting tomorrow. Rogers has an update on the missing girl case. Hopefully that means we'll be one step closer to finding Gothel."

Emma grimaced at the name. "Let us know how it goes."

Rumple nodded. "You'll be the first." He then pulled Lennie into a hug before bidding everyone goodbye. Cora walked him to the door where they spoke quiet for a minute or two before Cora made her way back towards the living room. Lennie had already put the film on and was immersed in the opening credits.

"What?" Cora asked when she saw both Emma and Zelena looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"What's going on between you two?" Emma inquired carefully. "Please don't say nothing because we all know that isn't true."

Cora sighed as she sat beside the blonde. "I don't want to say anything yet," she replied honestly before she turned towards the film, ignoring the glances that Emma and Zelena shared.

Before long, it was time for Lennie to go bed as the film had finished. When Emma returned from putting Lennie to bed, she suggested another film, one that was more adult appropriate but Zelena shook her head.

"I'd better get going," she said as she placed her empty glass on the table. "If Regina's coming over here then I can't really stay." Zelena had been sharing with Emma on a night so with Regina coming over, it could have gone a little awkward.

Cora frowned before glancing at Emma. "Is there any way you can ask your contact for a bigger place?"

"There's no need," Zelena answered for her. "I'm going to call Robyn, well Margot, tomorrow and tell her what's going on and ask her to come home. She'll be confused if I'm suddenly living with strangers, so I need to be staying with Regina."

"Why can't we wake her up?" Emma asked. "What has Alice got to do with it?"

Zelena shook her head. "I can't say, but it's going to kill me to have Robbie there without her remembering."

"We're going to have to talk to Lennie about it," Emma murmured, looking solemn. "She's not going to understand how Robyn is suddenly so much older and magic isn't the easiest answer. I don't want her thinking it's the answer to everything."

Cora nodded before turning to her eldest daughter. "How is she so much older now?" She'd wanted to know the answer to this for a while but hadn't gotten around to asking. There was also something or someone in the way. "You still look the same age."

"I have no idea," Zelena admitted. "Time seemed to move normally where we were. I aged in Storybrooke but when I got to the Enchanted Forest, I didn't. It was the same with the Merry Men, they all looked the same, but Roland grew. I guess Robbie grew up because we were away for such a long time." She frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I never intended on staying away so long."

Emma reached out and squeezed her knee. "We're together again now."

The redhead smiled at her sister's words before sighing and standing. "I'm going to get going before I get too comfy." She leant down and kissed Cora on her cheek and followed suit with Emma. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Emma nodded. "Sure."

Zelena smiled before heading out of the apartment. Once the door clicked shut, Emma turned to Cora.

"What's going on with Alice? Do you know?"

Cora shook her head. "I asked Rumple too and he wouldn't tell me," she revealed with a sigh. "They all get a look in their eye whenever we mention it, but I don't want to press because they'll just get annoyed."

"I guess," Emma sighed.

"We'll find out eventually," Cora said as she stood up. "Though I think I'm going to retire for the evening too. All this reading and discussing with Rumple is tiring me out."

Emma had to bite her tongue to stop herself from making any inappropriate jokes. Clearly Cora had seen through her when she rolled her eyes. She crossed the room and kissed Emma's forehead.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," she murmured.

Emma smiled softly. "Night, Mom."

Once alone, Emma wasn't too sure what to do with herself, so she flicked on the TV and started channel surfing. It didn't take her long to find a rerun of FRIENDS on the TV. Settling back and getting comfortable, she watched Monica and Chandler get married for what felt like the hundredth time.

The next thing Emma knew was a smooth set of lips pressing against hers, ones that she enjoyed the feel of immensely. Blinking slowly as she came to, Emma realised that Regina was kneeling in front of her. Glancing around, Emma saw that she'd fallen asleep in the living room.

"Hey sleepy head," Regina murmured softly, amusement in her voice, before pressing another kiss to her lips. "Did you wait up?"

Emma shook her head. "Not intentionally. I just fell asleep." She then sat up and stretched as she yawed. "Let's go to bed."

She picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Holding her hand out, Regina accepted it, and the two headed to Emma's room. Once inside, Emma automatically stripped off and she heard Regina's breath catch in her throat.

"You're so beautiful," she commented and Emma blushed as she crossed the room where Regina still had her top on but her jeans had been removed.

Slowly, Emma pulled Regina's top off and unclasped her bra. "Not as beautiful as you, my love." She leant down and kissed her softly before she flicked the light off.

The two slipped under the covers, Emma automatically holding her arm out for Regina to nestle into her side. Her arm fingers started trailing up Regina's arm of their own accord making the brunette shiver.

"Do you find it strange how natural this all is?" Regina asked quietly. She looked up to catch Emma's eye. "I mean, I'm glad it is but–"

"You didn't think it would be?" Emma presumed.

"I guess," Regina agreed. She shuffled so that she was leaning on her arm. "With our pasts, I never thought it would be smooth. We've always fought or bickered and getting a straight answer was sometimes very difficult. Plus all the times we've kept things from each other, even accidentally, or just acting without thinking or explaining, I didn't think it would be possible."

Emma bit her lip, realising what Regina was getting at. She took a deep breath. "Is this your way of asking why I left that morning?"

Regina swallowed nervously before nodding slowly. "Yes," she whispered.

Releasing her breath, Emma reached out and slipped a loose strand of Regina's hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek.

"In all honesty, I was scared," she revealed. "Scared of the situation, of how I felt about you, of how things were definitely going to change afterwards. I thought it would be better for everyone that things continued how they were going. Plus, Robin had just died so I thought maybe I was just your rebound which I know is stupid," she added hastily when Regina opened her mouth to say something. "I should have stayed and made you breakfast," she smiled softly when Regina grinned at the idea, "and made love to you all over again, but I was too much of a coward and I am so sorry. If I'd have stayed, then shit wouldn't have hit the fan with Hook and maybe Henry wouldn't be cursed and–"

"Hey," Regina said softly, cupping Emma's face to refocus her before she started getting ahead of herself. "Calm down, please," she requested, "You're doing the Emma ramble again and as cute as it can be, it's not helping the situation.

The blonde blushed and bit her lip once more to stop the rambling. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay," Regina murmured as she thumbed Emma's cheek softly. "I'm not going to lie, it hurt that you didn't stay and I felt rejected but I guess it wasn't the right time for us. If it was, things would have gone a lot more smoothly. As for Henry, that isn't your fault at all. It's no ones really. All he did was fall in love."

"What happened?" Emma asked. She'd gotten the story from Ivy, but that was going to be a little bit biased.

"Gothel cursed him to get to me," Regina replied. "We were winning, my magic was more powerful than hers, plus we had Ivy, Rumple and Zelena on our sides and Gothel's gang of witches weren't enough. I refused to join her, so did Zelena, but Gothel didn't go after her because of Robyn. I'm still not sure why that was, the curse happened before I could ask. Anyway, as punishment, Gothel cursed Henry's heart so that he would feel excruciating pain whenever I was within a metre of him. Then she wanted to make up her killing Cinderella's dad up to her so she cursed him again Ivy too." Her eyes then darkened. "Then to make it worse, she cursed him against Sophia which was the end of the line. Soph is too young to understand why she couldn't be near her dad, so we knew we had to cast the curse to get us here to save him." She swallowed as tears started to fall. "I cast the blasted curse and yet I can't break it!"

Before Emma could reply and reassure the brunette that according to Rumple, she had not cast the curse, there was a loud bang heard in the apartment and a high-pitched scream.

Emma shot up in the, her face drained of colour. "Lennie!"


	19. Chapter 19

Immediately, Emma and Regina jumped out the bed with Regina pulling on Emma's dressing gown and Emma some sweats. They ran out into hallway where they met Cora who was in her nightgown before rushing into Lennie's room.

"Elena!" Emma cried as she saw her daughter rolling around frantically in the bed. Her eyes were wide open and Emma thought she was awake at first. The bang, Emma realised, was Lennie's lamp was on the floor.

When she went to rush over, Regina pulled her back. "Don't wake her," she instructed quietly.

"What?" Emma gasped, turning on her. "She's in pain!"

"She's having a night terror," Regina explained. "There's nothing we can do until she calms down. It's best if we just wait it out with her."

Emma swallowed and nodded. "She's never had one before," she whispered.

Regina reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "Henry went through a phase with them. She's had a big change the last couple of days, but she's going to be fine."

The blonde turned to the brunette with her eyes filled with fear. Regina pulled her close to try and calm her down.

Cora coughed quietly. "You've both got this. I'll get back to bed."

Emma nodded and smiled softly at Cora before she headed out the room. Once she'd gone, Emma turned back to her daughter who had stopped moving quite so frantically but her eyes were still wide open.

"I just want to help her," Emma whispered, tearing up at feeling so helpless.

"It's okay," Regina murmured, squeezing Emma's arm. "She's going to be okay."

Time ticked on until Lennie started to calm down. Her breathing slowed and her eyes started to flutter shut.

"Mommy!" She murmured sleepily.

Emma glanced at Regina, silently asking if it was okay to intervene now. Regina nodded.

With the nod, Emma rushed over. She took hold of Lennie's hand and stroked her face. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here."

"Mommy?" Lennie repeated as she came too. "What happened?"

"You had a night terror," Emma murmured softly. "But it's okay. Mommy's here." She then glanced over to Regina and smiled softly. "We're both here."

Lennie looked up and saw Regina standing hesitantly by the bed. "Mom?"

Taking the invitation, Regina walked over and took hold of Lennie's other hand. "I'm here too."

"Stay," she muttered sleepily, holding her mothers' hands tightly.

Emma and Regina didn't want to speak while Lennie was falling back asleep. It didn't take long. It never did for her to fall asleep. Once her quiet snores started to fill the room, they slowly removed their hands from Lennie's grasp before making their way back to Emma's room.

Once they were back in bed, Regina opened her arm and Emma automatically leant into her embrace.

"That was scary," Emma whispered. "I've never seen her do that before."

Regina's arm started sliding up and down Emma's reassuringly. "It happens. She's had a complete change with me coming into her life. I'm not surprised she's reacted like that, but she's going to be okay. She surrounded by family who love and adore her."

"I know," Emma said quietly before yawning and snuggling closer into Regina. "I know we were talking before all of that, but I'm just too tired."

Before Regina could reply, the blonde had already fallen asleep. Smiling softly, Regina cuddled into the blonde and allowed sleep to take over her too.

oOoOo

The next few days seem to pass by in a blur. Regina was spending most of her time in the apartment with Emma, Cora and Lennie, getting to know her daughter and reacquaint herself with her mother and now girlfriend. Emma still hadn't gotten around to telling the brunette that she wasn't the caster of the curse, but there would be time for that.

However, as happy as Emma was that Lennie and Regina were getting to know each other, her daughter was still tending to want to spend more time with her brunette mother than blonde during the day. When Emma had asked her if she remembered her night terror, Lennie hadn't known what she was talking about and got frustrated so Emma hadn't wanted to push her. Yet a couple of days later, Regina asked her about it and Lennie was much less defensive, answering every question.

Every time Regina entered the room, Lennie would drop everything she was doing, even if she was doing her work, and run over to Regina. When she was then persuaded back to her work, she would ask Regina for help on the sums she found difficult instead of going to Emma. Each time it happened, it chipped away at Emma, convincing her that she wasn't good enough for her daughter.

With those thoughts going around her mind, whenever Zelena and Regina were both over and Cora chose to speak to them over Emma, it made things ever worse. After a week of it all, Emma just lost control.

She had been working the afternoon shift for Regina who had been working non-stop over the past few days and had been unable to spend any time with her family and Emma felt a little guilty. Zelena had been doing the odd shift but hadn't been able to do any the last few days while she prepared for Robyn's return. She wanted everything to be perfect. Remy was also unable to work as his catering business was rather busy that week too which left Emma.

When she had offered, she honestly hadn't minded the shift, but when she walked through the door, rather exhausted, all she wanted to do was flop on the sofa with her daughter and girlfriend. However, when she stepped through the front door, Lennie hadn't even looked up from where she was sitting with Regina on the sofa. She didn't even glance in her blonde mother's direction or say hello and Emma just couldn't cope.

She threw her jacket on to the floor and didn't speak to anyone as she stormed straight to her room. The door was slammed behind her as she pulled her knees up to her chin as she burst into tears. Not five minutes later, the door was opened slightly and Cora was revealed. Seeing the state the blonde was in, Cora rushed over and pulled her into her arms.

"Oh my darling, what's happened?"

"Lennie doesn't want me," Emma sobbed. "She's barely looked at me since Regina has come into her life. I don't know if its punishment for not telling them about each other or just the fact that she prefers her." She laughed humourlessly. "I mean, who wouldn't? Regina is amazing and I'm flawed. It was only a matter of time." As the tears had started, Emma couldn't control them. They simply kept streaming down her face. "I'm not worth it. I'm never worth it."

"Oh, Emma!" Cora's heart broke at her daughter's despair. She'd heard the tales of Emma's past, but she'd thought that she was over them with her new life with their family, but it seemed some wounds were deeper than met the eye. "That isn't the case at all, my love." She started to rub the blonde's back gently as a comfort, knowing it had worked in the past whenever she had been upset. "She's a child, they love anything new. I do agree with you though; she seems to be putting Regina over you instead of the two being level at the most. I hope you don't think I've been doing the same now that Regina is back. I've been doing my best to treat the three of you the same."

Emma offered her mother a watery smile. "I know, but you're more tactful than Lennie. I walked in after being out all day and she didn't even look up from her conversation with Regina and they've been together all day." She sighed. "I sound like a jealous brat, and maybe I am, but I'm a conflicted jealous brat. I'm happy that Lennie has taken this all so well in essence, apart from the night terror, and I'm grateful that she and Regina are getting on so well. Yet even though you and Zelena helped me raise her, I was always her go to whenever she was upset or needed to talk to someone. Sure, she went to you or Zee sometimes, but four out of five times, it was me. It hasn't been me since Regina walked through that door. I don't know what to do."

The sobs renewed as she spoke about it all. The more she spoke about it, the guiltier she became.

Cora pulled back from the embrace and cupped Emma's face. "It's okay to feel like this," she assured her as she thumbed away her tears. "We'll talk to her and tell her what's going on. She's only a child, she's not intentionally doing this. You know that, right?"

Emma nodded and swallowed, trying to stem the tears. "I know, but it's just reminders of my past of people who were supposed to love me just abandoning me. I never expected it from my daughter. It was like this when Henry hated me for lying to him about his father. This is the same all over again."

"But Henry forgave you and spoke to you about it, didn't he?" Cora asked and Emma nodded. "Exactly."

"He was older when it happened though," Emma murmured.

"Lennie is ridiculously intelligent for her years," Cora said. "You know she is." She cupped Emma's cheek softly. "I'll start making dinner and once we've eaten, we'll sit her down, all three of us, and we'll talk to her. You sort yourself out in here and I'll talk to Regina too." She kissed Emma's forehead. "It'll be fine. Momma's here."

Finally, Emma smiled. She had been a little worried that Cora would start pulling away now that she had both of her daughters back but in that moment, Emma realised she never would. Cora saw all three of them as her daughters and though she thought it should feel weird that both she and her girlfriend referred to Cora as Mom, it also felt right. Cora was her mother in every sense of the word.

"I love you," Emma murmured, leaning into Cora's touch.

"I love you too, sweetheart," she replied with a smile. "I always will. Now, would you prefer Spaghetti Carbonara or Bolognaise?"

"Carbonara," Emma said quickly as it was her favourite pasta dish.

"Coming right up." Cora pressed a final kiss to Emma's head before standing up and making her way out of the room.

Once she was alone, Emma tried to remember all the calming techniques she had learned from Archie back in Storybrooke. She had gone to see him a couple of times saying she was stressed. Even to him, she couldn't reveal the truth about Killian. Archie never pushed on the true reasons why Emma went to his office, but he helped her as best he could.

Channelling her inner Archie, Emma crossed her legs, shut her eyes and rested her hands on her knees. She breathed in deeply through her nose and counted to four before exhaling through her mouth for another four, expelling all the negative thoughts with it. She repeated that four times before she stood up, shaking her limbs before heading over to her small vanity at the bottom of the bed to check her eyes. She'd applied a light layer of mascara before heading to work and now it was down her face, so she quickly wiped it away with a tissue. With a final deep breath, she knew she couldn't delay going back into living room, despite being terrified of what would meet her.

When she entered, she realised she didn't really need to have worried. Lennie was still sitting in front of the television, watching what she recognised was the third Shrek film and Regina was standing with Cora as they cooked side by side.

"Em?"

Looking up, Emma saw Regina looking at her worriedly. Faking a smile, Emma walked over to her and was immediately pulled into a very strong embrace by the brunette.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into her hair.

Emma pulled back but didn't let go of her girlfriend. "Why are you sorry?"

Regina nodded towards Lennie's direction, not wanting to say her name and bring any attention to the fact they were talking about her. "For the way she's been treating you since I've come along. It's not fair."

Emma shrugged, pretending it was no big deal until she heard Cora sigh exasperatedly behind her, making Emma change her tune. "It hurts but it's not your fault." She pulled back from Regina's embrace. "None of this is your fault. I brought it upon myself that morning when I walked away from you."

"Hey," Regina said softly, reaching for Emma's hand. "We've talked about this. If we were meant to be together then, we would have been. We're together now and we can sort this situation out as a family like we're meant to be."

At the term, Emma's frown broke out into a grin. "A family?"

Regina nodded, smiling too. "Of course." She reached up to brush Emma's hair out of her face. "We've been a family for years, we just never realised it."

"I love you," Emma said breathlessly before leaning forward to kiss the brunette who smiled into the kiss.

"I love you too," Regina replied, a smile in her voice before pulling Emma in for another kiss, ignoring the fact that her mother was stood right behind her.

However, the sweet moment was ruined when Cora coughed. "As adorable as this is, dinner is ready."

The two reluctantly pulled apart and Emma set the table while Regina pulled the plates out of the cupboard. Lennie was then called over to join the adults and they sat down to eat. Emma was nervous as they ate, knowing what was about to happen, but when she felt Regina's hand gently rest on her knee, she started to calm down.

Once the meal was eaten and Emma had procrastinated enough while washing the pots, it was time to talk to Lennie.

Regina and Cora were already sitting on the sofas with Regina sitting beside her daughter and Cora on the opposite sofa. Emma slowly made her way over before taking a seat on the other side of her daughter. She picked up the TV remote and turned off the background noise before turning to her daughter. However, she didn't speak, allowing Cora to take charge for now.

"Lennie, honey," she began, "we need to talk to you about something important. Is that alright?"

Lennie swallowed before glancing at her mothers. "Am I in trouble?"

Regina smiled reassuringly. "No, sweetheart," she said. "We just need to talk to you, okay?"

"Okay," Lennie nodded before shrinking back in her seat.

"How do you feel about your other mother coming into your life?" Cora asked.

Lennie grinned as she turned to the woman in question. "I'm so happy!" She cried as she pulled at Regina's hand to hold. "She's everything I dreamed of!"

Emma flinched at the words and bit her lip.

"We're very happy that you're excited about this," Cora said carefully, "but have you felt your relationship with your mother change?"

Lennie frowned as she thought about it before shaking her head. "No?"

Cora smiled softly before reaching across the space and taking hold of her granddaughter's hand. "You've been neglecting Emma since Regina has come into your life," she stated, "and I don't think you've noticed."

Lennie's eyes flew open in shock and she let go of both her grandma's and mother's hand as she turned to Emma, seeing that the blonde was tearing up. "Mommy! I'm sorry!" She threw her arms around her, cuddling her tightly.

"Oh Len," Emma said softly as she hugged her daughter. "It's okay." She pulled back. "It just hurts a little bit that you want to spend all your time with her. It's like you've forgotten all about me."

"Never!" Lennie gasped. "I just wanted to know Mom. I didn't know I made you sad."

"I'm glad you want to, honey, but you can't forget about me at the same time."

"I won't!" Lennie insisted. "Promise. I love you."

"I love you too, darling," Emma said softly before covering her daughter's face in kissing, making her giggle. She hadn't wanted to be too harsh on her because she didn't know any better, but now she was aware of what was going on, hopefully life at home would be a bit easier.

Before anyone could say anything else, Regina's phone started to ring. Regretfully, she walked away from her family to take the call. Not five minutes later, she returned and sighed. "I've got to go into work, Remy can't make it and Zee is on the way to the airport to get Margot."

Emma glanced at her. "It's Friday night, you can't do it alone," she murmured. "I'll come with you."

"No, you stay with Lennie," Regina insisted. "I can do it."

Cora then shook her head. "You can't run the bar on your own on a Friday night." She then turned to Lennie. "What do you say to a night in with Grandma? We can build a fort like last time?"

"Yes!" Lennie cheered. "I'll go get my duvet."

Lennie then sprang off the sofa and headed towards her room, giggling as she went.

"Well that's that sorted," Emma commented, chuckling too before she turned to Regina. "We'd better get going then."

"I'm sure it'll fly by with you working with me," Regina said sappily making Emma roll her eyes but smiled nevertheless.

Lennie then returned to the living room trailing her duvet and blanket behind. "Moms, are you joining?"

Emma shook her head. "Sadly not, we have to go to work."

Lennie frowned. "Okay," she said sadly.

"But we'll make you pancakes for breakfast tomorrow morning," Emma promised making her daughter smile.

"Yay!" She then ran forward and hugged her blonde mother tightly before turning to Regina. "Have a good time."

"We'll try," Regina said before they both pecked Lennie on the forehead. She turned to Cora. "Let us know if you need us."

"Stay safe and let me know when you get to work safely," Cora requested.

The two nodded before they made their leave. Cora had been even more insistent that Emma, and Regina, let her know when they arrived at their destinations after Emma's arrest almost a week ago.

Emma and Regina walked to work talking about Lennie as they always did. Both were proud at how well she'd taken the conversation earlier and hoped that things would get a little bit better. Emma knew they would so long as she remembered that she was part of the family and that Lennie didn't know any better. She was working on it.

Once they reached the pub, they set about to opening it up quickly with Emma sending a short text to Cora to let her know that they'd arrived safely. There were already a couple of the usual visitors waiting outside.

"Sorry!" Regina said as she opened the door. "Last minute staff change," she explained as they filed in. None of them said anything, simply grunting as they walked in.

After an hour, the place was full which wasn't surprising for a Friday night. Every chair was taken and many people were standing around tables or perching at the bar. Shortly after half past nine, two people walked in and Emma saw Regina tense.

"Roni, long time no see!" Said the man. Looking up, Emma was met with her son. He looked as handsome as always with a bright smile on his face as he saw his friend.

However, what interested Emma was the small brunette beside him. She was slim with tanned skin and a smile on her face that didn't meet her eyes. Clearly that was Jacinda.

"Henry, lovely so see you!" Regina replied tightly and Emma realised her distress. It was the first she'd seen her son since waking up and seeing him not remember her was clearly killing her as much as it pained Emma. "Where's Sophia tonight?"

"She's with my mother," Jacinda replied.

Emma shivered at the idea of Victoria spending time with her granddaughter, even though she was also her grandmother. Despite the fact Sophia was only four, Emma hated the possibility that Victoria could be weaving negative thoughts into her.

"How lovely," Emma commented, the distaste clear in her voice, not able to speak positively about the woman.

Jacinda turned on the blonde and her eyes narrowed. "What have you got against my mother?" She demanded.

"J," Henry warned, glancing between the two women, clearly confused to what was going on.

Emma scoffed. "Well when someone gets me arrested for nothing, I'm going to be a little pissed, don't you think?"

"Emma," Regina murmured quietly, trying to get her to bring her voice down as some of the patrons were listening in.

Emma raised her eyebrow at the woman. Most of the people in there had been there the night she'd gotten arrested. It wasn't new information.

"So _you're_ Emma," Jacinda said and at that, Emma knew she was awake. She was clearly too familiar with her name and the reason behind her arrest to not be. She was just a brilliant actress as Zelena had said. However, she didn't know how to prove it at that moment.

"Yes," she said instead. "And you must be Jacinda. I've heard a lot about you."

Jacinda raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Likewise."

Henry turned to his girlfriend, his eyebrows high. "How? You've never met and I've never spoken about her?"

Regina then took in the conversation. She glanced at Emma, silently asking her what Emma was thinking. The blonde nodded slightly, confirming that the other woman was awake.

Jacinda froze at Henry's word before laughing. "Ivy has mentioned her."

Henry still looked confused before shrugging it off. "Roni, can I talk to you for a sec? I want to arrange some babysitting."

Regina looked hesitant to leave the blonde with the other woman unattended, but Emma nodded. "I've got this," she whispered to assure the brunette.

With that, Regina headed to the other side of the bar with Henry to talk.

Emma looked at Jacinda now they were alone and crossed her arms, smirking. "So, how long are you planning on keeping everyone asleep?" She asked. "Or do I slowly have to go around everyone and wake them up?"

Jacinda's eyes widened in shock. She glanced at Regina before looking back at the smirking blonde. "She's awake?"

"Just like you are and Zelena is," Emma taunted. "Oh, and Rumple." She raised her eyebrows. "What are you going to do about that? Go cry to Mommy dearest?"

Jacinda swallowed, clearly unsure about what to say next. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "No. You don't have a clue who you're dealing with. Mess with my family and you'll face me."

"You don't scare me," Jacinda sneered.

"Just you wait!"

Before either of them could say anything further, Henry and Regina returned, both grinning widely.

"We've got a babysitter set for next week," Henry said happily as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend.

Jacinda faked a smile. "Great! Now, let's get a drink and get far away from the bar. I'm tired and want to sit down."

Henry laughed and ordered them two beers before they walked away. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Emma turned to Regina.

"She's definitely awake," she murmured, "and I told her you, Zee and Rumple are all awake. I thought it was the best way to shake her up. She clearly wasn't expecting that to happen, look at her."

The two looked over to where Henry and Jacinda had manage to find a table at the back of the room. Henry was trying is best to talk to his girlfriend, but Jacinda looked like she'd seen a ghost and was barely talking to him.

Regina smirked at the sight before she picked up her glass and clinked it against Emma's. "Let the sloppy mistakes begin."


	20. Chapter 20

Once Jacinda and Henry had left the bar, things went back to normal. Emma and Regina could still chat amongst serving drinks for others as people weren't too hurried to get refills, simply enjoying having a drink with their friends.

However, while people came over, Emma watched Regina interact with them. In Storybrooke, she'd never have imagined Regina working in a bar, the mayor was far too proper for that but watching her now, she was in her element. She'd bring up past conversations with the patrons, asking about family she'd heard about or how their work was going. Half the time, she didn't even need to ask their drinks because she already knew their regular. She was so laid back, despite the shaky encounter with Jacinda, and Emma was happy to see it. She wondered if it would keep up if they ever returned to Storybrooke and Regina no longer needed to be Roni.

Just as the clocked ticked ten o'clock, there was a shift in the atmosphere when the front door opened. At first, Emma was too busy getting around of gin and tonics for a group of ladies who all seemed a little too drunk to be ordering more as they were all taking turns to flirt with the blonde. Emma laughed it off, but Regina was very unimpressed with them and purposefully told Emma to use the subpar gin she had on tap for occasions like this.

The moment was interrupted by a yell of, "Auntie Roni!"

Looking up, Emma saw the new twenty-five-year-old Robyn run through the door and towards Regina. Robyn was just as beautiful as she had been but with a thin wired pair of glasses and her sandy hair was pulled to on side in a braid instead of half tied up like it used to be. She could feel the excitement boil as she grinned at her niece who was now hugging Regina tightly.

Emma walked over to her, ready to accept the younger blonde's embrace but naturally, this version of Robyn didn't know who she was. Quickly, Emma pretended to stretch so that she had an excuse for her arms being wide.

"I've missed you so much!" Margot cried once she pulled back from her aunt.

"I have too," Regina replied. "I thought you were getting in earlier?"

Margot frowned. "The flight was delayed for apparent no reason."

"Typical," Regina commented before she turned to Emma. She could see the sadness on her face that Margot didn't know who she was. She couldn't even begin to fathom how odd it must have been for her. The last time she saw Robyn, she was eight and now, only a year later in Emma's timeline, she was twenty-five and had no idea who she was. "This is Emma, my girlfriend."

Margot raised her eyebrows suggestively to her aunt. "Mom never told me this!"

Zelena shrugged but was also smiling. "It wasn't my secret to tell."

For the sake of situation, Regina then said, "Em, this is my niece and Kelly's daughter, Margot."

"It's lovely to meet you," Emma said tightly, still restraining herself from reaching out to hug the blonde.

Margot smiled. "Likewise." She turned to her mother. "I'm tired though so I'm going to head to bed."

Zelena had already revealed that she was staying with her sister while she was back in Hyperion Heights. As predicted, Margot had been very confused when her mother had called to update her on her whereabouts. She was convinced she'd lost her mind. However, she was happy that she and Roni had made up which is what made her see that it was time to come home. If her mother and aunt could put the past behind them, she could do the same. Besides, she did also miss her family.

"I'll be up in ten," Zelena said.

Margot smiled and hugged her auntie one more time before she made her leave through the back, heaving her giant backpack with her.

"Well that was more painful than I thought it was going to be," Emma commented once the door had shut. "Borderline the same as Henry not recognising me."

Regina reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "She will do soon."

"Why can't we wake her?" Emma asked, wanting to know the truth.

Zelena and Regina glanced at each other, both warning the other not to say anything.

"Why?" Emma repeated when neither of them spoke.

"Because we can't wake Alice," Regina said quietly. "I know you want to know more and we want to tell you, but for now, we can't."

"Fine," Emma muttered and headed to the other side of the bar to where there was someone waiting.

Regina glanced at her sister who looked just as annoyed as she felt. "We'll have to tell her eventually."

Zelena shook her head. "Once the curse is broken, we won't have to worry about it and there's no point stressing about it until then."

"I guess," Regina sighed. "You'd better head up before Robyn comes back down."

"Night," Zelena said and hugged her sister. When she glanced over to Emma, she was busy pouring a row of shots. "Tell Em I said good night."

"I will."

Zelena then made her leave and headed through the backdoor and up towards Roni's flat. Once she was alone, Regina realised she was at work to do her job. Plastering on a smile, she stepped forward and began taking orders once more.

After a split shift, Emma and Regina made their way back to the apartment where Regina was spending almost all her time.

"So what do you think Jacinda will do now?" Emma asked as they walked hand in hand. Despite the lateness of the hour, the two were still rather awake. "Now she knows who's awake."

Regina sighed as she thought about it. "I'm not too sure. She'll definitely tell Victoria about it but I'm not sure if she'll tell her tonight or tomorrow. After that, we can only guess. I mean, I don't even know if they have a plan because like I said, they didn't cast the curse that brought us here; I did."

"Gina," Emma said softly. "You didn't cast the curse."

The brunette stood stock still. "What?!"

Emma stopped in her movement too and looked at her girlfriend. She squeezed her hand gently. "Rumple told me. You didn't cast the curse or at least not entirely."

"No, Zelena helped me," Regina said as if it was obvious. "There was nothing we could do to help Henry so we decided to cast the curse to the Land Without Magic so that he wouldn't be in pain."

"Gin, think about it." She reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "If you cast the curse, would you have forgotten that Henry was our son? Would you have gotten another personality? With the original curse, you got to keep your memories, your name, your position. Here, you're completely different. You didn't remember. You can't have possible cast the curse."

Regina still remained frozen, her eyes flickering as she thought about everything. "You're right," she whispered, her eyes wide and full of fear. "But Emma, if we didn't cast the curse, who did?"

"I don't know," Emma replied. "But let's get home, we shouldn't be having this conversation out in the open."

The two then started walking again. Regina looked up to the sky which seemed darker than usual. "There's a storm brewing," she murmured as they reached the front gate of the apartment blocks.

"Then I hope Cora and Rumple have sorted the magic bringing potion out," Emma commented.

At that, Regina chuckled. "After all these years of learning magic, you still can't remember the appropriate names?"

"What?" Emma laughed quietly as they walked into the apartment. "It's a potion that is going to bring back magic. I don't see what's wrong with it."

Regina rolled her eyes before pulling Emma towards her. "You're lucky I love you." She kissed her softly.

Emma smirked. "I'm lucky Cora and Rumple got freaky and made you so I could love you."

When Regina pulled a face, Emma realised that maybe she'd said the wrong thing.

"Shit, sorry," Emma said quickly. "That was careless."

"It's fine," Regina replied before the two made their way towards Emma's room. "I just never expected it."

Emma turned around from shutting the bedroom door behind them and started taking her shirt off. "Expected what?"

"For Rumple to be my father," Regina explained. "My father, well Henry, always pointed out similarities between us. I guess he was looking for them because he always had a gut feeling that he wasn't my father."

"He loved you," Emma assured her as she pulled the brunette towards her. The sincere moment was slightly ruined as Emma was topless which distracted Regina from the conversation. "He was your father in every sense of the word. God, I know what it's like to have a parent figure who isn't actually biologically related to me. Surely you know more than anyone about that too."

Regina smiled sadly. "I miss him."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Rumple?"

"_Henry_," Regina said with a small eye roll. "Seeing him tonight was painful and it's like you've come back form New York all over again and he doesn't remember me."

"He'll remember us soon enough," Emma promised. "Now, let's get some sleep and we can inform Cora about Jacinda and start a plan."

Regina nodded before pulling back from Emma's embrace so she could strip.

Once the two of them were naked, they slipped into the bed. Despite Emma's words of them getting some sleep, Regina soon found the blonde trailing kissing up her neck and behind her ear, making her putty in her hands. They ended up falling asleep, multiple orgasms later and absolutely exhausted.

oOoOo

When the two surfaced the next morning, they entered the kitchen and saw Cora standing by the sink in her dressing gown, but she wasn't alone. Rumple was sitting at the table fully dressed but Emma hadn't heard the front door open or shut that morning meaning that Rumple must have stayed over and was only dressed for appearance's sake. However, Emma knew not to ask, especially not with Regina there who was still in two minds about what was going with her parents.

"Morning ladies," Cora greeted as she turned the kettle on. "How did you sleep?"

"Well thanks," Emma replied as she got the mugs out the cupboard to help with the tea.

"So I heard," Cora muttered and the mug Emma had just reached for toppled out of her hand. Fortunately, Emma's reflexes were quick and she caught it before it fell.

Looking up, Emma saw Cora grinning with mirth. "Let's never talk about this again," Emma requested before her eyes flashed over to where Rumple and Regina were chatting at the table with Lennie who had just joined them, still wearing her pyjamas. "Or I'll ask just exactly when Rumple got here because I didn't hear the door this morning."

Cora's laughter stopped almost immediately as she blushed. "Touché," she whispered before busying herself with making the drinks.

"Morning Mom!" Lennie called and Emma turned around and grinned when she realised her daughter was talking to her. Clearly, she'd taken on board what her mothers had said the day before.

"Good morning, monkey," she replied with a smile before quickly getting her and Regina's coffee ready and putting them on the table. She opened her arms up and Lennie ran into them, allowing her blonde mother to kiss her forehead before taking a seat at the table. "Breakfast?"

Lennie nodded. "Pancakes?"

Emma grinned. "Coming right up, buttercup!" She then turned to Rumple. "Would you care for some pancakes too?"

Rumple chuckled. "You know I never say no."

Nodding, Emma headed back over to the fridge to get out the milk and eggs before she and Cora whipped up the batter. Emma then manned the hob while Cora got the toppings out. Once they were done, the family sat down around the table and dug in.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was full to busting with pancake deliciousness and it was time to start the weekend.

"First things first," Emma said, "Robyn arrived last night."

At the name, Lennie's eyes brightened. "Robbie's back?"

Emma frowned. "Not entirely." She reached out and took hold of her daughter's hand. "Robyn is back, but like your other mother, she doesn't remember anything, like the fact she's your cousin. She's like Henry and can't be awoken."

Lennie's eyes dulled as she sighed wistfully. "Okay."

"But," Cora said, speaking for the first time, "your grandfather and I have some good news. The potion to bring back magic is finished and a storm is coming today."

"So by morning at the latest, magic will be back and we can get onto saving Henry," Rumple finished but Lennie wasn't listening to that.

"I'll have my magic back?" She asked excitedly.

"Hopefully," Cora murmured.

Regina turned to her daughter. "You have magic? As in, you're in control of it?"

"Well dur," Lennie sassed making everyone chuckle, showing she was very much like her brunette mother. "I'm like super powerful."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Alright, monkey, pipe down." She chuckled. "But yes, you should get your magic back." She then turned to Cora and Rumple. "So how are we doing this?"

The first thing they needed to discuss was who was going to be looking after Lennie. The girl was very unimpressed to hear that she wasn't invited even though she could help out last time. Emma offered to stay with her, but Rumple said that she was needed when it came to manipulating the waterflow to gather under the bridge. Regina was the next to offer, but then Cora wanted her to be there too.

"We'll have to call Zelena," Emma said eventually.

"What about Robyn?" Regina asked quietly.

"I'll sort it," Cora said. "Leave it to me."

And with that, she stood up and left the table, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she went.

Emma then turned to Rumple. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Positive," he nodded. "I've never made a potion that's failed before."

"Good," Emma muttered. "Because we can't go wrong. Jacinda is on to us. She's awake."

Rumple glowered. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Cora asked as she entered. "Zee will be coming around to look after Lennie later." She turned to Regina. "She said Remy was working later?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, but I have to go help, we have the musician in tonight so we can't be too late with all of this."

"It'll depend on the rain," Rumple commented. "But tell me more about Jacinda."

"There isn't much to tell," Emma said before revealing what happened during her conversation with Jacinda the night before. Neither Cora nor Rumple were too pleased with her mild threat but at least they knew what was going on.

For the rest of the day, they decided to have another movie day. The first film on the list was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as Lennie had now finished reading that book. Again, Rumple couldn't help his snide comments throughout the film. Emma was a little apprehensive when Rumple started to agree with the idea of embedding part of himself in another object but when Cora smacked him on the back of the head, he changed his tune.

The next film was Mulan because Emma loved the music and she also wanted to prove to Regina that Disney did have a powerful leading woman as she had scoffed at the idea previously. Emma had been tempted to put on Snow White to wind up Regina but chose against it.

Before long, it was lunch time. Cora made everyone a sandwich, along with some pepper and carrot sticks as per usual, and that was when the sky started to cloud over, the rain already starting to pour.

"We need to eat quickly," Rumple instructed. "I don't know how long the rain is meant to last and we need a decent amount for the spell to work."

Everyone nodded and ate as quickly as they could aside from Lennie who was stropping about it all. Cora text Zelena to let her know that she was needed a fraction earlier than arranged.

Before long, Zelena was walking through the front door with Robyn on her heels. Everyone was a little confused.

"Margot wanted to tag along," Zelena said with a faked casual shrug.

Just like Emma the night before, Cora had gone to give her granddaughter a hug but halted in her steps.

"This is my mother, Cora," Emma introduced, "and my daughter, Lennie. Len, this is Margot."

Emma was sure Lennie was going to get a little upset at seeing Robyn but clearly the new name made it easier to cope with suddenly seeing her again. She didn't look upset in the slightest, in fact she looked intrigued.

Margot turned to Lennie and grinned. "Want to learn how to play chess?"

Lennie scoffed. "I can already play but sure!"

At that, Margot looked impressed that a seven-year-old was already familiar with the game before pulling out the travel set she always had with her for occasions like this.

The adults looked back at two and let out a sigh of relief that they hadn't known they were holding.

"Well that went better than I thought it would," Zelena commented. "I didn't want her to come for that reason, but I couldn't come up with anything as to why she couldn't join me as I babysat. Besides, I'm just glad she wants to hang out with me."

Regina reached out and squeezed her sister's arm. "It's going to be okay."

Zelena nodded and smiled. "You'd better be going before the storm really hits. The rain has already begun."

"We'll see you later," Emma assured her.

"Good luck."

Emma went over to bid her daughter goodbye, but Lennie was already too focussed on her game. Chuckling, Emma pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving.

Twenty minutes later, the four of them were standing underneath the bridge, all completely soaked to the bone from the pouring rain. Emma was glancing around, trying to find something to change the flow. She really wished she had magic to control it but that kind of defeated the whole thing.

The water was pouring under the bridge, flowing powerfully around their feet. Quickly, Emma spotted a bench and tipped it on its side before dragging it over. They placed it perpendicular to the troll's hand and it started to catch the water, but it wasn't enough. They needed something to fill the hand better.

Regina spotted a traffic cone and placed it beside the bench which directed the water towards the hand. Slowly, but surely, the water started to fill up.

"It's working!" Cora gasped, clearly not believing it would.

"Don't jinx it," Emma said cautiously, knowing that if the bench slipped, the water would drain away. Carefully, she took hold of one end to keep it in place. "How much more do we need?"

Rumple stepped over, making sure not to touch the water or objects holding it. Looking over, he smiled. "Just a little bit more."

The four waited until Rumple deemed that it was time. He pulled the potion out of his pocket and slowly poured it into the well of water.

Nervously, they waited to see if anything would happen and it didn't take long. The water in the troll's hand started to swirl on its own, transforming into a deep pink colour before raising like smoke escaping from a chimney. The stream of smoke rose high until it met the sky, clouds turning a deep scarlet as they churned. Lightning bolts flashed and thunder rumbled through the town, causing the rain to turn slightly pink.

"It's working," Rumple announced rather unnecessarily.

On the rain went as the pink clouds surrounded them.

"Emma, let the water run free," Cora instructed and Emma pulled the bench out of the way, letting the contaminated water escape.

"How much longer?" Regina asked, cautious that someone could see them.

"Any minute," Rumple replied and not thirty seconds later, the clouds started to clear.

Suddenly, Emma felt the familiar sensation buzzing in her hands. Looking down, it was as if her fingers were glowing slighlyt as the tips tingled.

Looking up, she saw the others all looking at their hands.

"It's back," Rumple announced, waving his fingers together, watching small sparks flying off.

Flashing a smile, Regina swirled her hand and a fireball formed, shining brightly in the dark of the storm which had now returned to normal, grey clouds replacing the pink once more.

Emma followed the brunette's action and formed a fireball, making smaller flames spark off independently. "Oh this feels so good."

"We need to get out of here," Cora murmured, the only one not to have magicked anything up, "before people see us."

Emma nodded and went to start walking back towards the apartment.

"Em?" Regina questioned with a raise of her eyebrow. "What did we just bring back?"

The blonde's face flushed in embarrassment. "Oops." She reached out and took hold of Regina's hand before flicking her wrist, poofing back to the hallway outside her apartment. "God it's good to have this back."

Cora and Rumple transported themselves back moments later and they all entered the apartment. Zelena looked up and smiled but Robyn glanced up at everyone looking rather confused.

"You weren't gone long?"

"The rain is too heavy to go where we wanted," Emma lied quickly. The fact that they were still completely drenched added to their story. "Sorry you've had your time wasted."

"Nonsense," Margot said, waving it off. "We've been having a blast."

"Maggie, concentrate!" Lennie instructed making everyone chuckle.

Emma raised her eye at Zelena at the nickname but the witch simple shrugged before she walked over. She wriggled her fingers.

"I can feel it worked," she murmured, "but yet Margot clearly doesn't remember what happened. It was odd. The pink clouds appeared and Lennie commented on them but once they past and Lennie asked about them again, Margot had no idea what was going on. I don't get it."

Emma shrugged. "Probably something Rumple built into it so that no one else would know unless they had magic."

"I guess," Zelena murmured, "but at least it's back." She then smirked and flicked her wrist subtly to send a zap up Emma's arm.

"Oi!" Emma gasped before sending one back.

Before the two could start a true fight, Regina stepped between them. "Don't. Not with Margot here. If Lennie sees what you're doing, she'll join in and it'll confuse her."

Zelena sighed. "You're right." She then took in the two in front of her. "You two need to get dry and make sure you're gone long enough to make it seem like you'd dried normally."

"I know how we can kill time," Emma joked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Regina shoved her shoulder, a little bit more forceful than was needed but Emma got the hint before walking towards her bedroom.

Once the door had shut behind them, Emma pulled the brunette towards her, sealing their lips together, quickly flicking her tongue against Regina's lip. Regina gasped at the sensation, allowing the blonde's tongue to slide in between her sultry lips. On their own accord, Regina's hands reached out to circle Emma's neck before Emma's lips started trailing down her neck.

"Em," Regina husked once her lips were free. "We shouldn't be doing this with others nearby."

Emma chuckled into Regina neck, pressing one final kiss on her pulse point before pulling back. "I was killing time before I did this." She flicked her wrist and the two went from looking like drowned rats to freshly dried humans. "Better?"

Regina smiled. "Much." She leant forward to kiss the blonde once more. "Now, let's go hang out with our family before I go to work."

"Before we go to work," Emma supplied. "Victoria and Jacinda are going to be there tonight," she reminded her. "I'm not missing this."

The brunette's eyes flashed. "What could possible go wrong?"


	21. Chapter 21

The rest of the afternoon went rather smoothly. Emma and Regina returned back to the living room, dry once more, and Cora and Rumple joined them about ten minutes later. Oddly enough, Rumple was wearing a change of clothes and at first, Emma thought he must have left them there previously, but then she remembered that they had magic back. It seemed that living without magic for so long meant it took some getting used to once it returned.

Lennie and Margot's chess match turned into the best of the three, the latter rather impressed that a seven-year-old was so good. It was actually Margot who suggested the best of three after losing the second match. However, the last match was deemed stalemate when Margot was down to her King and Lennie had a Knight and her King left.

"We're gonna have to call it a day," Margot sighed.

Lennie frowned. "That's no fair. I didn't get to win again!"

Margot chuckled. "We can have a rematch soon." She then looked up and saw her mother and auntie looking at her oddly. "What?"

Zelena simply smiled. "Nothing. We should probably get going to and leave these lovely lot alone."

The two then made their leave, Margot promising again that she and Lennie would have a rematch very shortly.

Once they had gone, Emma wanted to hang out with her family who had sat down to watch a David Attenborough documentary, but she had been neglecting other household chores and didn't want Cora to be doing everything for her. That was why, an hour after Zelena and Margot had left, Emma was found cleaning the bathroom while a load of washing was in the machine.

"Em, what on earth are you doing?" Asked a voice.

Emma looked up from where she was knelt by the toilet, one hand taking her weight and the other down the toilet. Regina just hoped she was wearing a glove.

"What?" Emma pulled her gloved hand out of the toilet to rest over the side. "I'm cleaning. What does it look like?"

Regina raised her eyebrow. "Why are you doing it manually? There's magic again."

"Magic doesn't clean a toilet very well," Emma said with a shrug. "It doesn't have the elbow grease behind it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Is that code for you forgot again?"

"Nope," Emma said quickly, but her face was flushing before she turned back, about to start scrubbing again, when she saw Regina hesitating. "What?"

"I actually came in here to use the toilet," Regina said slowly and Emma chuckled.

"Of course," she muttered as she stepped away from the toilet. She peeled off the glove and dropped it into the sink. Just before she got to door, she turned and smirked. "Finish cleaning the loo when you're done."

The blonde was chased out of the room by a flurry of small fireballs and Emma's laughter was heard all the way down the corridor.

"What's funny?" Lennie asked as Emma walked in.

"Your mother found me scrubbing the toilet because I keep forgetting magic is back," she said as she washed her hands in the sink before walking over to her daughter. "After such a long time without it, I keep not using it."

"Magic is back?" Lennie repeated, her eyes shining wide. "Is that what the pink cloud was? Auntie Zee wouldn't tell me because Margot was here."

Emma waited for her daughter to comment on Margot, but it never came. "How do you feel about Margot, knowing she's Robyn?"

Lennie's excitement then dulled. "She's Robbie? That's not possible."

"I'm afraid it is," Cora murmured, speaking for the first time. "After Auntie Zee and Robbie left, time was different which made your cousin grow up. She was trapped under the curse too and now she's someone called Margot."

"Oh," Lennie muttered before sighing. "At least I didn't know before so I didn't call her Robbie."

Emma chuckled as she pulled her daughter on her lap. She bopped her nose to make her giggle. "That is true and I promise, we will get her to remember soon but there are complications to why we can't wake her. Do you understand?"

Lennie nodded. "Yep."

"So are you okay?" Emma repeated.

"Yeah," Lennie replied. "I miss Robbie but she's older now so it's different. I like Maggie. She's funny."

Regina then returned to the living room and plonked herself down next to her girlfriend and daughter. "The bathroom is clean," she stated with a chuckle in her voice.

Emma rolled her eyes and went to reply when the washing machine beeped to indicate it was finished. Regina raised her eyebrow, waiting for Emma to stand and sort the washing but she simply smirked and flicked her wrist. The washing machine door flew open and the clothes burst out, flying into the air as they dried before they swirled around in the air before floating towards the table, folding themselves and landing into the piles that belonged to each person.

With another flick of her wrist, the dirty pots on the side which hadn't been sorted after lunch were washed and wiped before flying towards their cupboards where they belonged. Finally, Emma's last spell was directed towards the fridge for some strawberries which were prepared by a knife that had flown from the draw to slice off the green leaves before landing in a bowl. The bowl headed towards the Emma and landed in Lennie's lap.

"You were saying?" Emma said to her girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

However, Regina's eyes were wide. "Your magic is so much better than last I saw!"

Emma blushed at the complement. "I've had some great teachers in the past."

Despite the bowl of strawberries in front of her, Lennie didn't seem too pleased. Instead, she glanced at the cupboard and flicked her wrist. The door opened slowly and a packet of crisps slipped out and started creeping its way over. Before they reached her, they were snatched out of her hands.

"As impressive as the magic skill was, who said you were allowed crisps?" Emma asked, her eyebrow raised, scarily like Regina's.

"Umm?" Lennie blushed before she snapped her fingers and the crisp packet opened. "Oops?"

"You cheeky little monkey!" Emma laughed before she pulled the bowl of strawberries away from her daughter, ungracefully plonking the bowl on Regina's knee, and pulling the crisp packet away, before she started tickling her daughter making her giggle loudly.

"Mom, stooooop!" Lennie gasped between tickles. "Mom, help!"

Emma paused for a second to let her daughter regain her breath before she smirked. "Yeah, Gina, help."

Understanding Emma's request, Regina waved her hand over the strawberry bowl so that it flew to the kitchen table, out of the way, before she pounced on her daughter too and the two mothers started tickling their daughter.

"Grandma!"

Cora watched her family for a moment, chuckling along, before she waved her hand and Emma and Regina's hands immediately stopped.

"Well that's no fun," Emma mockingly whined but Cora rolled her eyes.

"You're interrupting my show," Cora sassed before waving her hand once more, calling the strawberries to her.

Realising the tickles were now over, Lennie snapped her fingers and the crisps returned to her. She began munching on them before her mothers could stop her.

Emma chuckled quietly and rolled her eyes. _I wish mother would drop strawberries down her white shirt for being a buzzkill_, she thought as just as the thought left her mind, the strawberry in Cora's hand dropped and bounced down her shirt, leaving red stains behind. However, while Lennie chuckled at her grandmother's dismay, as Cora was now chuntering at the stain, quickly trying to syphon it away with a spell, Emma was completely baffled that her wish had come true.

"Em?" Regina murmured quietly. "What's wrong?"

The blonde turned to her before shaking her head. "Nothing," she replied before flicking her wrist and Lennie's crisp packet flew out of her hands and settled into Emma's who started eating.

"Mom!" Lennie whined.

"I let you have half of them," Emma reasoned. "Be lucky you had that many."

Lennie then turned to Regina. "Mom, help!"

Regina chuckled and raised her eyebrow. "Your mother is right. If you want something to eat, grab an apple."

Lennie sighed exasperatedly. She snapped her fingers once more and a ruby red apple appeared in her hand. A loud crunch sounded as she took her first bite and she settled back into the sofa to watch the documentary which was still playing, sending sideways glares at her mothers who were now sharing the crisps.

oOoOo

Just before eight o'clock, Emma and Regina set off to go to work. They left Lennie with her grandparents as they watched another animal documentary. Emma had thought her daughter would get a little bored of them after a while, but she was lapping them up.

The two were halfway towards the pub before Regina pulled on Emma's arm.

"Are you going to tell me why you went weird after Mother dropped that strawberry?"

Emma's mind flashed back to the moment and the confusion returned. "It was probably a coincidence, but I literally wished that she would drop it down her shirt for ruining the fun and then it happened. Weird right?"

Regina contemplated it for a moment. "I guess but wish magic is a thing," she murmured quietly. There was no one near them, but she wanted to be careful anyway. Victoria could have ears anywhere. "Alice's magic is wish based."

"Can you really not tell me what's going on with her?" Emma asked, changing the topic.

"I can't," Regina replied. "I want to, I really do, but I can't. Not yet, but don't change the subject, honey. Do you think you could have wish magic? I mean, your magic has developed so much since I last saw it and you always had so much potential."

Emma shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'll talk to Rumple about it but for now, we'd better get our work brains on." She nodded to the building in front of them and Regina realised they'd arrived at Roni's and she hadn't noticed.

"Let's go," Regina said, allowing Emma to drop the topic.

When they entered, they saw that Remy was already serving as he'd been working since seven. They dropped their jackets off in the back room, Emma texting Cora that they'd arrived as she promised before they headed back to the main room.

"Who's singing?" Emma asked, nodding to the corner. The musician had already arrived and was setting up the amps. He wasn't due to start until half eight at the earliest but wanted to have quick sound check before too many people arrived but that wasn't to be as it seemed that half of Hyperion Heights had arrived to enjoy a drink or more.

"The same as last time," Regina replied. "He's called Nick here." She then got closer to the blonde so she could whisper, "Hansel in the past."

Emma's eyes widened. "Really?"

Regina nodded but before she could say anything, they realised there were customers needing to be served. As it was a Saturday night, once they began, they didn't seem to stop.

After half an hour of constantly pouring drinks and flying around the bar to find particular glasses to match the beer, Nick announced the start of his set. Emma glanced around the room, half hoping that the two guests of honour hadn't arrived and never would. Just before Emma and Regina had set off to work, Ivy had text Emma to let her know that Jacinda and Victoria were getting ready to go out and would definitely making an appearance at the pub that evening. She was also going to be heading over to Henry's while he was alone with Sophia, just to talk, she had said but even in the text, Emma could read the hope.

Just when Emma was about to relax, thinking they were out of the dark when the two wicked women walked in. Emma could feel the tension in the air once they entered. Glancing over, Emma saw that Regina had realised they were here too. As usual, Victoria was wearing a smart suit, this time black with a burgundy shirt with killer heels that rivalled Regina's best. Jacinda on the other hand, was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a sparkly silver top that seemed brighter in contracts to her dark skin. No matter how much Emma disliked them, she couldn't deny they looked rather good.

Slowly but surely, they made their way over to the bar. The customers who had been waiting automatically stepped back to let them forward as no one left Victoria Belfrey waiting and got away with it.

"Good evening," Regina greeted somewhat amicably. Emma was impressed with the evenness of her voice.

"Good evening, Roni," Victoria sneered, raising her eyebrow. "A rather large turnout. I'm impressed."

"Obviously," Emma snapped. "Everyone loves Roni's."

"I see," Victoria murmured, amused.

"Watch your tone with her," Jacinda warned. Emma wanted to scoff but refrained.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked instead, trying to be polite.

Realising that Emma could handle her own, Regina headed towards the other side of the bar to help out the overload of customers that Remy was trying to deal with. It seemed they had gone to the other end in hopes of getting served with Victoria was at the end. Remy had been sending daggers towards his boss to help him.

"I'll take a Bud," Jacinda requested once Regina had disappeared.

Victoria smirked as she thought about what she wanted to drink. Clearly, she was trying to come up with something that she thought Emma would fail at. "A Grey Goose Martini."

"Coming right up," Emma said simply. She passed Jacinda her beer before free pouring the vodka into a shaker full of ice. She took in Victoria before adding a tiny splash of vermouth predicting she would be a dry martini kind of woman before shaking up the liquids. She knew that Victoria was testing her, but she knew she'd pass with flying colours. Once she was content with length of shaking, she fitted the strainer to the stop of the shaker and pouring the drink into a chilled glass. With an added green olive, Emma passed the drink over with a smirk, waiting for Victoria's comments.

Before she said anything, Victoria turned to her daughter. "J, you can go find a seat," she murmured.

"But Mom–"

"Go."

Without any further argument, Jacinda picked up her beer and headed to the corner. As she walked past the singer, they shared a smile which Emma missed but Regina saw.

Slowly, Victoria picked up the glass and took a sip, and Emma waited for the response. However, the other woman simply looked surprised. "I see your cocktail making is better than your mothering techniques."

Emma had just picked up the glass she'd mixed the cocktail in and at the taunt, it slipped through her fingers. "Excuse me?" She hissed, ignoring the broken glass at her feet.

Victoria smirked. "I know everything about that daughter of yours. Including the fact that she's the reason _Regina_," she emphasised the name, "is awake and I know Henry. He's far from perfect."

"You're far from perfect," Emma retorted, her voice dripping with venom. "You're the reason we're even here. I know you're behind the curse, _Rapunzel_."

At the name, the woman's smirk vanished. "How do you know?"

Emma smirked. "You forget who my daughter's grandfather is," Emma reminded her. "Rumple is awake, surprise." She waved her arms in front of her mockingly. At Victoria's baffled expression, Emma's smirk grew even wider. "So, your darling daughter didn't tell you the revelation from yesterday? What a surprise."

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "You don't know who you're messing with."

Emma barked out a laugh. "You're not the first one to say that to me. Jacinda said that yesterday but funny, I don't see you doing anything to be afraid of." She stretched out. "Now, why don't we take a page out of Rumple's book and make a deal? I won't curse you for fucking over my family in return for telling me how you cursed everyone here when you have no magic?"

"Because I'd willingly tell you that," Victoria scorned.

Emma's eyes flashed. She flicked her wrist and paused the room. Those drinking had their glasses raised halfway toward their mouths, others who were in mid-laugh had their eyes wide and their mouths open. Regina was halfway through pouring a beer, her hand on the draught and the other tipping the glass.

Once sure that everyone was paused, Emma reached out and feigned cupping Victoria's throat. She started to squeeze, slowly cutting off Victoria's air supply, smirking when the woman started to struggle.

"I won't ask again," Emma hissed. "Tell me."

Victoria's face started to turn purple. "It was Gothel," she husked. "It's always been Gothel." At the name, Emma released her grasp and Victoria dropped to the bar, panting desperately. "Gothel has been behind everything, she just used us as her pawns."

Emma scoffed. "Likely. You both have the perfect life here and Gothel is nowhere to be seen."

"You don't know anything!" Victoria taunted now that her voice was returning.

"Because no one is telling me anything!" Emma all but screamed. She flicked her wrist and produce a fireball which was spitting small flames, each landing closer towards the blonde.

"I've told you everything you need to know," Victoria said snidely. "Combine the three things and you'll figure it out. Now let me go!"

Completely in shock, Emma's spell fell through and the room resumed. Victoria took her chance to run away from the bar towards Jacinda before pulling her out of the pub, her daughter questioning everything.

Once the door slammed behind them, drowned out by the musician on the stage, Regina rushed up to the blonde.

"What happened?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

"But Em–"

"Later," Emma snapped before walking up to the next customer and pouring their drink, ignoring Regina's silent questions.

After a few minutes, Emma cursed, realising that Victoria and Jacinda had left and would be making their way home. Ivy was due to go to Henry's to see if she could talk to him and try True Love's Kiss now that magic was back, but they were about to be interrupted.

Emma rushed from behind the bar to find her phone in her jacket in the back room. She quickly searched for Ivy's number before pressing call. The brunette picked up quickly.

"Your mother and Jacinda are on their way back," Emma said quickly. "If you've made it to Henry's, you need to go."

She heard Ivy's audible swallow. "Thanks, I'll get going," she replied before sighing.

Emma could hear the sadness in her voice. "Come to the pub," she suggested. "You can tell us everything."

"Okay."

Ivy then disconnected the call and Emma returned to the bar. She could feel Regina's eyes on her but there were too many customers waiting to be served. She risked a glance to her watch to see that it was coming up to ten. The musician would be finishing soon and the crowd would reduce by half meaning that Emma would be able to speak to Regina then.

After another ten minutes, Emma's prediction came true. Nick announced that he'd finished for the evening and thanked everyone for turning up. Once he packed up his guitar, most people started filing out the room, leaving only the regulars and a couple of extras but no one was really in need of a drink, so Regina used this to her advantage. She murmured to Remy to hold the fort before she pulled Emma by her arm, dragging her to the back room.

"What the fuck happened?" She demanded. "And don't say nothing. I want to know."

Instead of answering, Emma pulled Regina close and kissed her passionately, relieved when she returned the kiss.

"Sorry, I needed to do that," she murmured as she pulled apart. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I couldn't with everyone there."

Regina nodded and half smiled. "I guess."

"Basically, Victoria said everything is Gothel's fault," she revealed before telling her girlfriend everything that had happened between her and Victoria, including strangling her. Regina had raised her eyebrow disapprovingly but didn't say anything. "She then said if we combined the three, we'd figure it out. I just don't know what she means."

Regina bit her lip as she considered what Emma said. "Well Gothel for one and maybe me waking up or maybe me? God knows Gothel hates me." Her eyes then flashed in panic. "What if she means Lennie?"

Emma's head snapped to the side. "What?"

"Think about it," Regina said as she reached out, taking Emma's hands in hers. "The three things Victoria mentioned were me waking up, Gothel and our daughter. Now that magic is back, we need to make sure that Lennie is never alone." She let go of Emma's hands and pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Texting Mother," Regina replied. "Making sure that she and Rumple are aware of it." She was still very adamant that she wasn't going to call Rumple 'dad', but they were getting rather close.

Emma nodded. "I called Ivy to tell her the get out of there before they returned. She should be here by now. I told her to come by," she added when Regina raised her eyebrow. "She sounded pretty upset."

"Okay," Regina murmured somewhat absentmindedly as she finished her message before putting her phone away. "Let's get back."

When the two returned to the main room, everything was pretty much exactly the same. They still had the same number of customers though now there were two people standing by the bar who were talking to Remy and another sitting at the other end on her own, nursing a drink.

Emma smiled softly when she saw Ivy. She was staring at her drink, looking a little defeated.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emma asked as she approached.

"They're worth more than that," Ivy replied with a small chuckle before she sighed. "Our big idea for me to try and woo Henry backfired. His cursed memories of my cheating on him burn too deeply. He'll never forgive Ivy for what she did."

Regina frowned as she reached out to squeeze Ivy's hand. She knew all about the fake story as Roni had spent many a night comforting Henry after it happened.

"His memories are just messing with him," she reassured her. "You know the truth that he loves you more than anything. The fact you have Sophia proves that and the diamond ring he got you too." She nodded to the ring in question that was on a necklace around her neck.

"I know," Ivy sighed. "It just feels like a knife to the heart whenever we're together because he hates me so much."

"I don't think so," Emma murmured. "When I saw the two of you the other day, he seemed concerned for you. I think his memories are telling him that he still loves you deep down but doesn't want to upset Jacinda because he's too honourable."

At that, both Emma and Regina smiled, proud of the gentleman their son hand turned into.

Ivy's brows then furrowed. "Talking about Jacinda, she never turned up when I thought she would. I mean, I got out of there like you said but nipped home first. I have CCTV to the entrance of the apartment block, god knows why, so I kept an eye out for them, before I came here, but only Mother arrived a few minutes after I got home. She looked worried. I waited a fraction longer for Jacinda but never arrived."

"That's odd," Emma said but before they could continue, Remy walked over.

"The main barrel is empty again," he revealed. "I only changed it half an hour ago."

"Oh, weird," Emma replied. "I'll go check it out."

She then headed towards the cellar to check the barrels and make sure all was as it should. However, as she took a couple of steps down, she was struck by a heavy force and everything went black.


	22. Chapter 22

When she awoke, the first thing Emma felt was a pounding at the back of her skull. It didn't take her long to realise what it was as she'd come across pain like that in the past during her bailbonds days. Thugs always wanted to get away and violence was the start of every escape. She could count on her fingers and toes how many times she'd be hit on the back of her head to knock her out. Despite that, she would always catch them. Her record was impressive.

As she came to, she realised that she was no longer in Roni's pub or even the cellar. The last thing she remembered was going to check the beer barrels but even now, she realised they'd been compromised so that she would go down and sort them out alone. And alone she was. She couldn't hear a thing. When she opened her eyes, she could barely see anything either.

There was one light in the far corner that kept flickering. She wasn't sure if it was due to her eyes blinking rapidly as she came to but as she tried to focus, she realised it was just an old lamp. Letting her eyes focus, she looked around the room and saw that she was in a deserted basement. The only other object in the room was a rickety old chair in the corner. The paint on the walls was chipped and some of the stonework was on show. There was a large patch of graffiti on the wall which looked like someone had gotten high with some spray paint and gone to town. The colours clashed with neon pink and bright red with oranges and yellows joining. There was writing in the centre, a word in a language that Emma didn't understand. It definitely wasn't English.

Realising she was alone, her bailbonds training kicked in. Whenever she felt like she was in danger, she needed to get herself out of there as quickly as she could. She tried to move her hands and realised they tied behind her back. Clearly, her captors had done their homework as she realised her feet were also bound to the chair. Frustrated, Emma tried not to groan at the fact she couldn't escape with her magic. Her hands were bound too tightly to be able to flick her wrist but there wasn't enough space, not even for her to click her fingers either. She felt for the knots around her wrists and tried to manoeuvre her hands so that she could start to unpick them.

However, as she begun, she started to hear a distant whisper coming from somewhere, but she couldn't tell.

_I wish I could hear them_, she sighed and then suddenly, the whispers grew louder as if they were standing beside her.

"What the fuck are we meant to do with her now?" Asked a male voice, one that with which she wasn't familiar. It was low and gruff but she daren't move to see as she didn't want them to know she hadn't woken up. "I got her here for you, but you won't tell me how we're going to proceed. We could get arrested for this!"

A scoff was heard loud and clear. "Shut up, Nick," hissed the other voice. A female voice which Emma knew. _Jacinda_. Her blood started to boil as anger took over. She hadn't been scared the entire time she was there and now she still wasn't; she was furious.

"You work for me," Jacinda continued. "You don't need to know what's going on, just do as I say."

The silence then rang clear and was replaced with footsteps towards the door. They were moments away from walking through so Emma hung her head forward again, pretending she was still asleep for now. She just hoped her heartbeat would slow to not give her away.

"Now, I'm going to finish this and then you can clear up the mess," Jacinda said. "Come back in an hour. It shouldn't take long." There was delight in her voice, an excitement as to what was about to happen. "If things don't go to plan, you know what to do."

An affirmative was heard before a set of footsteps started to retreat from the door. Another set headed towards the door before it started to be pushed open. The joints creaked in desperate need of some oil but that clearly was the last thing on the up-keeper's mind.

As soon as Jacinda stepped into the room, the atmosphere changed. Still Emma wasn't scared, she couldn't possibly be scared of something she didn't know. She'd never feared of the unknown, if anything she thrived on it because it was hers for the taking.

"Rise and shine!" Jacinda teased as she stepped away from the door. She flicked on the main switch, flooding the room in iridescent orange light. She hesitated for a second while Emma pretended to suddenly wake up. She flicked her head back and forth and wriggled at the bindings around her hands.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, playing her part well.

Jacinda giggled mischievously before she walked slowly towards the blonde like a cheetah stalking their pray, with a large smirk gracing her lips. "That's for me to know and you to wonder," she taunted. When she was within inches of the blonde, she smirked. "Don't you look like a damsel in distress. How ironic. It's a shame your knight in shining armour is a spineless bitch who only cares about herself, and with no magic here, she doesn't have chance to save you."

Emma glared at her, growling when she heard the dig about Regina. However, she was happy to know that Jacinda clearly didn't know that magic had returned. As Emma had suspected, if you didn't have magic, you wouldn't remember the pink cloud. She could use this to her advantage.

"Why have you taken me?" Emma demanded instead of allowing Jacinda to know that her taunts weren't getting to her.

"Oh Emma, Emma, Emma," Jacinda murmured condescendingly, "haven't you learnt in all your years of living amongst fairy tale characters? Telling you would ruin everything."

"Humour me," Emma replied lightly, deciding against being hostile as that approach clearly wasn't working. "Be different."

Jacinda looked like she was thinking about Emma's suggestion before she laughed humourlessly. "I suppose I could. Let's start with a love story, shall we? I've heard you're a fan."

Emma's brow furrowed, rather confused as to what was going on when Jacinda pulled up the old chair, sitting just short of a meter away in front of her.

"After all, you're Henry's birth mother and he loves a good story," Jacinda continued as if she hadn't paused. "He must have gotten it somewhere."

Emma continued to be silent, not giving the other woman the satisfaction of a reaction. All while Jacinda sat there, Emma was trying to wriggle her hands free so be able to use her magic to get her out of there but so far, it was to no avail.

Jacinda leant back on her chair and started twisting a strand of her hair around her finger, smirking. She was clearly enjoying herself. Emma just needed to either agitate her to the max or have her as chilled out as possible to the ultimate distraction.

"I've always dreamed of finding my true love," Jacinda said eventually, clearly bored of waiting for a reaction out of the blonde. "I read about it in so many books and witnessed it through my parents. I wanted a love like my mother and father who adored each other. Even after my mother was killed." Her eyes darkened a fraction before she snapped herself out of it. "Even the love between my father and stepmother seemed perfect and I wanted that for myself. That was when Henry came along." She then smiled dreamily as she thought about him. Emma's blood started to boil and she swallowed down the bile that rose. "As soon as I saw him, I knew."

Finally, Emma couldn't stay silent any longer. "So you had him cursed? The perfect way to show your love."

Jacinda's eyes narrowed. "I had to punish Drizella," she said as if it was the simple explanation. "And Gothel wanted to punish Regina. It was the perfect combination."

"And Sophia?" Emma asked, her voice cracking slightly. "She's four and completely innocent."

There was a loud screech and bang as Jacinda flew off her chair, the legs scraping across the floor and falling to the ground as she grasped the arms of Emma's chair, her face barely a millimetre away but Emma still wasn't scared.

"She is anything but innocent in this," she hissed. "She shouldn't even exist if Henry had just picked me!" She pushed herself back and started pacing. "I had a plan in my life. I wanted to meet my True Love, get married and start my own family but no, Henry had to prefer _her_ and run away from my family." In her trance, Jacinda seemed to forget who she was talking to. "So, I had to find a way to get Henry. I'd read a book years ago about Mother Earth and I knew she could help me. I spent weeks trying to find her and when I did, that was the best day of my life. She agreed to help me straight away and my stepmother wanted to help too. I lost my mother and suddenly had another. Life was great. All I needed was the cherry on top. Henry."

On Jacinda paced, ignoring her surroundings and Emma was grateful of it. While Jacinda was distracted, Emma had managed to find the knot that was tied around her hands. She was trying to undo it. Once her hand was free, she could poof herself out of there.

However, her movements stopped when she saw Jacinda's eyes darken until they were almost black but yet her pacing didn't stop. If anything, it quickened.

"Since I was twelve, Victoria has been in my life," Jacinda continued. "She brought my father back from the dead after my mother died, showing me that love is possible even after death. She took me under her wing and treated me like her own, ever better than she treated her own daughter. It was amazing. I could do whatever I wanted and never got into trouble, Drizella always got the blame." She laughed mercilessly. "Mother adored me and I her until it all went wrong."

Emma was still working on the knot. She had managed to loosen one loop, but it wasn't enough. Her hands remained tied behind the chair. She had no idea how long she'd been there, or how long she'd been out, but she was starting to get a little frustrated that Regina or any of her family hadn't turned up yet. Surely they had to be looking? For once, she wished she and Regina had her parents' 'I will always find you crap' so that she could sense where Emma would be. Alas no, either Snow and Charming had made it all up and it didn't exist, or Emma and Regina weren't the lucky ones to possess it.

"Gothel started to help me with my fight to get Henry," Jacinda said. "She warped the earth and the trees to destroy the towns and villages, but we didn't want to get too close to their camp to hurt him. Before every attack, we asked Henry to change his mind and come to me, promising that the fighting would end if he came home but every time, he refused. Mother then found out that Zelena knew my father in the past and became obsessed with beating her. She tried to force Gothel to attack but she never did; Gothel didn't work for her." She smirked. "She doesn't work for anyone. She works with me. We're a team." Her voice darkened once more. "Besides, after killing my mother, she owes me."

At that, Emma could no longer remain silent. Her attempt to loosen the knot on her wrists ceased.

"What?"

Finally, Jacinda stopped pacing, turning on her heel. Her eyes widened to the point it was almost comical. It seemed that Jacinda had finally remembered she wasn't alone.

"Hello," Emma smirked. "Remember me sitting here? It seems you are different and you've told me a lot more than you wanted to."

Jacinda glared but Emma kept going, wanting to keep distracting her while she resumed loosening the knot. She was so close.

"Why did Gothel kill your mother?" She asked, convinced Jacinda wouldn't reply but again, another surprise flew her way.

"She was asked to. Victoria asked her to because she wanted my father," Jacinda replied, her voice thick of venom. "She said Gothel owed her for locking her in a tower years ago, so she complied."

Now that Emma wasn't expecting. She fiddled again with the knot and finally, she pulled it free. She rotated her wrists to get some feeling back in them, biding her time until the moment was right. There was more information to find out so she didn't want to reveal she was free too soon.

"But now she owes me." Again, Jacinda carried on speaking and Emma deemed her the most idiotic opponent she'd ever faced. Never before had someone actually revealed their plans to her before without something even worse coming.

She tried to think back on all the foes she had faced. Peter Pan, the secretive bastard who never said anything without wanting something in return. The Black Fairy never said anything and let Gideon do most of her dirty work. Then perhaps the biggest enemy she had face who had disguised himself as her love, Killian. However, secretive he had not been, he wore his intentions on his sleeve, but they always came at a cost.

Trying not to think about him, Emma brought herself back into the moment. She had to remember that Jacinda wasn't alone that evening. Victoria was clearly not her ally. Nick, or Hansel, though with the way she had heard the conversation, she was pretty sure that he wasn't awake and was simply doing Jacinda's dirty work for either money or blackmail, had left, who knows what he was off doing. He would be back in an hour, but surely at least twenty minutes had already passed since this begun? Again, she was starting to panic why Regina hadn't come to save her. The only reason she could imagine her not coming was if she was in danger herself. However, before she could do anything, Jacinda continued yet again.

"I found Gothel and asked her to help me get Henry, even though she cursed him, but you have to make sacrifices. It's all part of my master plan to defeat my mother. You know what they say, keep you friend closed but your enemies closer."

"So what am I doing here?" Emma asked. "What have I got to do with anything?"

Jacinda laughed humourlessly. "You're the curse breaker," she said as if it was obvious. "You can't be here to ruin the curse." Her eyes glinted, clearly enjoying herself now that she'd relaxed.

"Why have you dragged everyone here just because you want to defeat your mother?" Emma questioned, confused as to what was going on. "Could you not have just ordered Gothel to kill her on the spot and made it easier for yourself?"

Jacinda scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?" She laughed before becoming serious. "But no, that wouldn't have gotten my happy ending. I told you at the beginning this is all about a love story. Henry is my happy ending and here, I have him."

"But it's all fake?" Emma said exasperatedly. She was now more annoyed that angry. Jacinda clearly was just a melodramatic wannabe who didn't think of consequences. "And now you're raising his daughter who you've already admitted you hate."

"Sophia will get what she deserves," Jacinda hissed. "Perhaps a simple accident that will look like a cry of help from Ivy because she wants her boyfriend and daughter back, then they'll both suffer." Her eyes glinted mischievously. "But that will happen at a later date, it's not important right now."

Emma felt her blood turn cold. Jacinda was going to kill her granddaughter and Ivy together and make it look like Ivy's fault. She didn't doubt that she could as she had years of experience messing with things and pointing the blame at her stepsister. It's as if she'd been planning for this moment her entire life.

"What I don't get is why are you so defensive about anyone saying anything negative towards Victoria?" Emma shot her another question as it seemed Jacinda was enjoying them. "You've literally just admitted that you want her dead?!"

"I have to keep up appearances," she shrugged, nonchalantly.

Emma shook her head, completely exasperated with what was going on. Jacinda was clearly bat shit crazy. However, one thing was so completely clear after all of this.

"So you cast the curse," Emma realised, wanting to find out more about this and not the horror the other woman had in store for the innocent four-year-old. "You have no magic. How could you have cursed everyone?"

"That's the question you're dying to know the answer to, aren't you?" Jacinda teased. She then turned and went to other side of the room and for the first time, Emma saw there was a small bag on the table. Jacinda then opened it and pulled something out, making sure not show the blonde what she was doing before slipping it into her pocket and returning to standing before Emma. "I know I said that I wasn't going to tell you everything, but I was always going to because I have this."

She pulled the phial out of her pocket and Emma saw a clear liquid. She wasn't familiar with her potions so to her, it could have just been water for all she knew. Convincing herself it was that, she didn't let herself get worried.

"One sip of this and you'll forget everything I've told you tonight because one sip of this," she grinned evilly, "and you'll be dead."

_It's just water,_ Emma repeated over and over. _I wish it was just water._

"But before I make you drink this," Jacinda continued, "I guess you can know how the curse was cast. As you said, I don't have magic, so I needed to use people who did. Gothel did most of the enchantments along with her three daemon fairies. They have the most majestic of names, Flora, Fauna and Merriweather, but they have the darkest of hearts."

The struggle Emma faced at hearing the names was unreal. They were the fairies that apparently brought up Sleeping Beauty but as always, Disney didn't do their homework properly before creating a film.

"Well, they were pure fairies before Gothel bewitched them to do her bidding," Jacinda revealed. "The four of them together had the magic they needed to cast the curse. The only thing missing was blood. Lots and lots of familial blood. You see Zelena, Regina and Ivy all believe they cast the curse because their blood was used in making it. It warped their memories which is exactly what we wanted. If everyone knew who cast the curse when they woke up, I'd be lynched in seconds. This way, they could fight amongst themselves and throw the blame everywhere. Along with their blood, we used, Henry, Sophia, Robyn and even Rumple's. Yes, I know that Rumplestiltskin is the Evil Queen's father. The only thing that will break this curse is a family bond but while Robyn and Henry don't remember, you don't have a chance of breaking the curse. But you can't wake Robyn without waking Alice and you can't wake Alice before the curse is broken and you can't break the curse with Robyn being awake. What a shame."

"Why can't we wake Alice?" Emma asked.

"Because she'll go mad!" Jacinda squealed with delight. "She has the most promise with her magic, Gothel says, therefore she had to be cursed. Gothel wouldn't kill her and she won't tell me why," her face glowered at that, clearly not happy that Gothel was keeping something from her, "so she arranged a different curse for her. If she doesn't take her medication here, she remembers and we can't be having that because she'll know who cast the curse. We didn't use her blood so she can't be warped like the rest."

"What happens if she goes mad?" Emma was rather confused that Regina hadn't told her this. It didn't seem like something she'd keep from her.

"Good question," Jacinda complimented. "I've thought that myself but can't figure it out personally. I'd rather she just died, ghastly woman."

Emma tried to wrap her head around what had happened since she woke up. Her head was spinning, she hoped Rumple had a dream catcher so that everyone could witness this without her having to remember. Then again, she needed to get out of this situation first.

"So all of this was so that you could live a fake life with Henry and kill Victoria?" Emma said. "You're failing at half of it then."

"Just you wait," Jacinda snapped. "You're the top of my list and then Mother will get what's coming to her. Now, we've chatted too much and I'm bored. Nick will be back to remove you in no time. There's nothing you can do."

Jacinda then took a step back from the blonde, about to open the phial of potion and Emma knew it was finally time.

"Actually, there are many things I can do right now," she smirked. "First things first, I can drop these ropes because my hands have been free for a good fifteen minutes." She let go and the ropes dropped. "I can then wave my hand and untie the ropes on my feet." She didn't just untie the ropes, she singed them until they were ash. Looking up, she saw that Jacinda was starting to look scared. "Then I can make that bottle in your hand disappear and land in my pocket." She flicked her wrist and the bottle flew from Jacinda's hand and slipped through her fingers when she tried to catch it. "Lastly, I can punch you in the face for just tonight alone and then I can get the fuck out of here."

Before Jacinda could wrap her head about what had just happened, Emma reached out and punched Jacinda straight in the jaw before running to the door. She didn't want to transport herself out of an unknown room. As she ran out the door, she was faced with a long staircase. With a deep breath, she began to climb, taking the steps in pairs as she rushed to the top.

When she saw the door approaching, she released a sigh of relief, but it came a fraction too soon. The door opened to reveal Nick who was carrying a body bag.

"What?" He gasped at the sight, but Emma was too quick. She flicked her wrist and he crumpled to the ground. He wasn't dead but simply knocked out.

She barged through the now ajar door and saw that she was in an empty parking lot. Glancing around, she tried to figure out where she was, but the town was still too new for her. Instead, she closed her eyes and pictured her family and the need to be taken to them. With all the magic she could possess, she flicked her wrist and let herself be carried away.

_A/N: For those of you wondering how Jacinda was the bad guy, I hope this clears things up. As always, thank you to everyone who had reviewed, favourited and followed this story, I love you all. Keep the reviews coming and the chapters will follow! Love, Emss x_


	23. Chapter 23

When Emma opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of her living room, but it was deserted. All the lights were off and not a sound could be heard. Despite wishing there had been a search party to come save her, she had also convinced herself someone would have been waiting at the apartment in case she turned up. As there was no one there, where could Lennie possibly be?

Panicked, she rushed down to her daughter's room and threw the door open. The door hit the adjacent wall and ricocheted off with a bang and two powerful screams echoed around the room.

Flicking on the light, Emma saw both Lennie and Regina lying in the former's bed. Lennie's eyes were sleepy, but Regina still looked wide awake. Clearly Lennie had needed comforting before going to sleep and Regina hadn't wanted to fall asleep without knowing if Emma was safe or not.

"Mommy!"

"Emma!"

The two in the bed sprung up and pulled Emma towards them, hugging her tightly.

"My girls," Emma murmured, breathing out a sigh of relief, and she felt tears streaming down her face. When she had pictured her family, her spell really had taken her to them.

Regina pulled back and cupped Emma's face in her hands, assessing her for any damage before pulling her close and kissing her passionately. "Thank god you're alright. I've been worried sick! What happened?" She asked. "You went to check the barrels and when you hadn't come back fifteen minutes later, I came to find you, but you weren't there. I called Zelena to see if you'd popped up there but nothing, so I kicked everyone at the pub out and came home. Ivy came with me and I told Mother and Rumple what happened. The three of them, along with Zelena, then went out to find you." She then reached for her phone. "I'd better tell them you're here."

As Regina contacted their family to stop the search, Emma picked up her daughter and cuddled her close.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Lennie asked quietly. "Mom said she didn't know where you were and we were scared."

"I'm much better now that I'm home with you, my little monkey," Emma replied as she pressed a kiss to her head. "I'm so sorry I scared you. Are you okay?"

Lennie nodded and leant into her mother's neck, yawning sleepily.

"They'll be here in five," Regina said. "Let's go to the kitchen." She then turned to her daughter. She smiled softly when she saw the younger blonde leaning against her mother, holding tightly. Gently, she reached out and softly stroked her daughter's hair. "Do you want to join us or go back to sleep?"

Lennie looked torn between wanting to stay with her mothers and sleeping but Emma smiled as she saw her try to hide another yawn.

"You go back to sleep, monkey," Emma said softly. "I'll be here in the morning."

"Mmkay," Lennie replied sleepily. Still smiling, Emma placed her daughter back in bed and tucked her in. Pressing one last kiss to her forehead, she stepped back and took Regina's outstretched hand before making their way to the kitchen.

Emma had just switched on the light when three clouds of smoke appeared, emerald green, sky blue and deep burgundy. Zelena stepped out of the green smoke which was followed by Ivy in the blue. When the burgundy dispersed, both Cora and Rumple stepped out. It seemed their magic had combined when used together.

"Emma!" Cora cried as she rushed forward, pulling her daughter tightly into her arms. Zelena followed, joining the hug. "Thank God you're okay! What the hell happened?"

Instead of replying, Emma turned to Rumple. "I can't say it all, I need dreamcatchers."

Rumple nodded and waved his hand, providing six dreamcatchers for them all to take. Another wave and he linked the five to Emma's.

"Just project what happened in there and we'll see it," Rumple instructed. "Let your mind wander to remember every detail."

Emma nodded. If she hadn't had such a traumatic evening, she would have rolled her eyes. She knew all about using dreamcatchers from her days as the Dark One but now wasn't the time to say that.

The five shrugged out of coats so they could get comfortable for what was about to happen before stepping forward towards Emma so that they were standing in a circle with Emma at the head. She brought the dreamcatcher towards her face, ready to begin.

"Please don't interrupt once I've started," Emma murmured. "There will be many questions, but we can get to them later."

Everyone affirmed her wishes before Emma closed her eyes to relax. She centred herself before her eyes flicked open as she poured the night's events into the dreamcatcher for all to see.

Flashes of the night poured from her from the beginning when she went to check the barrels to revealing everything Jacinda said from why she cast the curse and also about her next steps and just who cast the curse. There were gasps galore as everyone found out just how the curse had happened and who was responsible. Ivy all but screamed when she heard Jacinda's threat towards her daughter. The fact that Jacinda was planning to kill her mother clearly wasn't as important.

It felt like hours before Emma finally pulled the dreamcatcher away after showing her escape. She took a step back and flopped onto the sofa behind her, the dreamcatcher falling onto the floor with a clatter, but she didn't bother picking it up.

Regina rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "You were so brave," she murmured as she pressed a kiss to her temple. "You were brilliant."

"Do you have the potion she was going to use?" Rumple asked. "I'd like to examine it."

Emma nodded and pulled the phial out of her pocket before passing it to Rumple. Immediately, he uncorked it and took a sniff. His brows furrowed in confusion before he dabbed his finger in it, bring it to his lips.

"Don't!" Cora cried. "You literally just witnessed Emma's memories of a woman saying one drop could kill!"

However, Rumple just shook his head, ignoring her instruction and dabbed the droplet onto his tongue.

"It's just water," he said, completely baffled. "I have no idea how she was going to kill you with this when it's just water!"

Emma shuffled uncomfortably into Regina as she realised yet another wish had come true. She could feel Regina's eyes on her, wanting her to say something more about the potion but Emma couldn't at that moment. She would choose a more appropriate time to bring up the recent events with the Dark One later. Instead, she changed the subject.

"So, what the hell are we going to do?" She asked before shaking her head. "Actually no. My first question is where the hell were all of you? I had to have been down there for an hour at least. Hyperion Heights isn't that big."

"Looking for you!" Zelena snapped indignantly, a little bit pissed off that Emma had presumed that they either hadn't gone looking for her or were taking their sweet time about it. "Regina gathered us all here so that we could plan. Lennie woke up and saw Regina without you and got scared. She begged Regina to stay with her because she didn't want to be without a mother. The rest of us then split up to look for you. Mother went to the troll bridge, Ivy went to Belfrey Tower, I went back to Roni's and Rumple went to the police station. Regina couldn't figure out where you were either. So much for that, 'True Loves will always be able to find each other' crap like Snow and Charming always harped on about. Where were you anyway? I've never seen that room before."

"I have no idea," Emma murmured quietly, a little ashamed that she presumed they hadn't look hard enough. "Some deserted basement. There was graffiti on the wall in a language I didn't know. When I got out, I was in a carpark, but I didn't recognise that either. I was too busy finding a way out!"

"You made it," Regina said softly, rubbing the blonde's arm soothingly. "You're safe."

Cora then made to sit at the other side of the blonde. "And we finally know her plans now," she said. "She's going to be acting sloppily now to rectify her mistake of undermining you. We have the advantage."

"What good is that going to do?" Emma murmured. "People are going to het hurt and as much I hate to say this, surely Victoria needs protection now?"

"Leave Mother to me," Ivy murmured. "Now magic is back, I can put a blood magic spell on her for protection." She then swallowed. "I guess I'll have to do the same for Sophia." Her eyes then widened. "Sophia! She's going to hurt my baby." She flew out of her seat and started freaking out. "I have no authority over her and she's my child. I need to protect her, but Mother probably won't let me get close because she is wrapped around Jacinda's fingers. I cannot believe she's done this to get at Mother!"

Zelena flew out of her seat and rested her hand gently on Ivy's arm to stop her movements. "Emma can help you with a protection spell on her to double the blood magic. Soph will be safe, I promise."

Ivy nodded, her breathing shallow. "I just don't understand anything anymore," she cried, restarting her pacing. "I've known Jacinda, well Ella, since I was fourteen. I always knew she was evil, but I thought that she was Mother's number one fan and wanted to do anything to be in her favour because she's a horrible woman too. There's no way she's normal. She must be psychotic or bipolar at least."

"You didn't know that Gothel killed her mother?" Cora asked quietly. She stood from where she was sitting and met the brunette in the middle before pulling her back down to the sofa. She waved her hand and conjured a tray of tea, indicating everyone should take a mug. Emma accepted hers without hesitation after having nothing to drink in the past few hours.

"No," Ivy replied. Her eyes flickered as she tried to search her memories for any recollection of it. "I just remember Mother coming home one day with Marcus and Ella and said they were our new family, that he was my new father and she my new sister. The replacements she called them." She frowned. "But no one could replace my father or sister." She laughed humourlessly. "Perhaps Gothel killed them too to make room for the rest. I don't know."

"We'll find out," Emma assured her. "We find everything out eventually. It's just a jigsaw. We get things done piece by piece. I'd say we've got the edges sorted and now we have to work out the mess of the middle."

"I'm scared," Ivy whispered. Her teacup left untouched in front of her.

"I don't blame you," Cora murmured softly, reaching out to take hold of Ivy's hand. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have your mother and sister plotting against you and stealing your love and child away. She had done some bad things in the past but never once, even without her heart, had she intentionally split families up. "But we have seven magic wielders against her and at the moment, Jacinda alone and powerless. We still don't have any idea where Gothel is and if Jacinda is currently working with her. She didn't mention her current whereabouts to Emma at all."

The conversation paused as everyone took in what was said. It was borderline midnight and everyone was exhausted. It was a lot to wrap their heads around.

"We need to turn Victoria against her," Rumple said, speaking for the first time. "Get Victoria on our side and Sophia will be ours to protect for one and the city will be in our hands."

"How do we do that?" Emma asked. Out of all the scenarios that had flashed through her mind that evening, persuading Victoria to join their team had not been one of them, despite it turning out that Victoria was on her own.

"Leave that to me," Rumple muttered.

Cora eyed the Dark Once for a moment, confusion flashed on her face before Rumple shook his head. The two seemed locked in a silent conversation but it wouldn't have surprised Emma if the two could speak telepathically with their magical skill.

"It's late," Cora said, pulling herself away from Rumple's gaze. "Now we know Emma is safe and what went on, we should get some rest." She squeezed Ivy's hand. "You're welcome to stay here tonight if you wish. We can transform the sofa into a bed."

Ivy smiled at the offer but shook her head. "No, I'd rather be home, but thank you for the offer. It's nice to be surrounded by a family again. I'd forgotten the feeling." She swallowed. "I'll cast the protection charm on Mother first thing tomorrow."

"If you need any help, just call me," Regina offered, knowing Ivy suffered with nerves with her magic sometimes. "I'll be there straight away."

Ivy nodded. "Thanks."

Once goodbyes had been said, Ivy made her leave. Zelena then stood up and Cora immediately offered her the sofa, but the redhead just chuckled.

"I can get home, Mom, don't worry," Zelena assured her before she pulled her mother into a tight hug. Pulling apart, she walked over to where Emma and Regina were still sitting on the sofa. "Try not to get taken again any time soon."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hilarious," she snarked before standing up and pulling Zelena in for a hug. "I'm sorry I worried you," she murmured, reading through Zelena humour. She knew that her sister put on a front whenever she was actually scared.

The two pulled back and Emma saw the usual feisty and strong redhead actually show her vulnerability.

"I'll kill her for just wanting to kill you," Zelena hissed. "No one messes with my family and gets away with it." She reached out and took hold of Regina's hand as well Emma's. "Either of my sisters." The three shared a smile before Zelena dropped their hands and pulled on her coat. "Now, I'm gonna get home and strengthen the protection charm I put around Robyn. I just wish we knew where Alice was to do the same thing. Robbie wouldn't forgive me if something happened to her."

"I'll check in on her tomorrow," Rumple assured her.

Zelena smiled gratefully before she began the next round of goodbyes. She didn't even leave the apartment before flicking her wrist and transporting herself in her familiar green smoke.

Once the smoke settled, Emma and Regina took each other's hands before heading into Emma's room, leaving Cora and Rumple alone. Neither wanted to think of the fact that the Dark One may not be leaving anytime soon.

The door had barely shut behind them before, Emma pulled Regina close to her, sealing their lips together immediately.

"I love you," she murmured against her lips. "I wasn't scared at all tonight because I was thinking of you, Lennie and Henry the entire time. My family who give me strength."

"It's okay to feel scared sometimes, Em," Regina murmured as she reached up to cup the blonde's cheek gently. "But I'm glad I was with you in spirit. I wanted to come looking for you, but I couldn't leave Lennie when she was so upset not knowing where you were. I couldn't lie to her when she started asking why you weren't home with me."

Emma smiled softly, kissing away the brunette's frown. "You did what was best for our daughter. What matters right now is that we're all safe. We know Jacinda's plan. My lie detector didn't ping at all, so she really did cast the curse because she wants Henry to herself and Victoria dead. We just have to make sure Sophia is safe too." She sighed before pulling off her top, Regina following suite to undress. "My main issue is how the hell do we go about breaking this curse if we need everyone awake but can't wake everyone until after the curse? Surely there has to be a loophole."

Regina sighed as she slipped under the duvet. "I have to admit, that aspect of the curse is perfectly cast."

The blonde chuckled quietly. Even in a time of danger and the unknown, Regina still couldn't help but admire magic. She then slipped under the cover beside her girlfriend, automatically lying in her embrace, wanting to feel Regina's skin against hers.

"Anyway," Regina continued after pressing a soft kiss to Emma's head, "there will always be a loophole or something weaved into it to be able to break the curse." She smiled softly. "There was a very annoying but very beautiful blonde weaved into mine to break it."

Emma glanced up at the brunette and smiled. She nudged Regina slowly but kissed her gently, enjoying the feel of her plump lips against her pale ones.

"I think there has to be something to do with the blood she took to cast the curse, the combination or the people's used," Regina continued. "Maybe if there was someone who was blood related to everyone whose blood was taken."

Emma sprang up in the bed, her eyes wide with fright. "Lennie," she whispered.

Regina sat up with her. "But Lennie isn't related to Ivy?"

"She doesn't need to be," Emma said. "Think about it. She has you, Zee, Robyn and Rumple through you being her mother and then Henry is her brother and Sophia her niece because of me. With Ivy being Soph's mother, she's linked that way, just like Rumple again for being Henry's grandfather. It makes sense. Lennie is the loophole. She's got to be!"

"Em," Regina murmured gently. "You're getting yourself worked up. Lennie is not going to get hurt. Mother and Rumple cast the strongest protection curse on the apartment and on Lennie herself when I panicked earlier. If someone sneezes next to her, we'll know about it. It's going to be okay."

Emma continued to stress until Regina kissed her softly to distract her. The brunette then lowered the two of them down until they were lying down side by side once more, settling to go to sleep, but Emma had a different idea. Despite how chaotic the evening had been, she suddenly felt the need to feel Regina, to prove to herself that through the mess, she was still completely alive.

She rolled over and pressed her lips against Regina's softly before teasing her bottom lip, not so subtly asking for entry. Regina smiled into the kiss before accepting Emma's tongue into her mouth, allowing it to tangle deliciously with her own. She hadn't been surprising the sudden mood change, but she definitely wasn't complaining either.

Before long, Emma was straddling the brunette's bare hips and trailing kisses down her jaw and towards her ear.

"I love you," she whispered before nibbling on the brunette's ear causing her to moan in delight and buck her into the blonde. "I love you more than anything." She kissed down her jaw, slowly but surely, adding nips and suckles as she went, enjoying the little red marks that flecked the brunette's neck.

"I love you too," Regina uttered breathlessly, immersing herself in Emma's attention, soaking up every sensation.

When Emma reached her breasts, she leant back and cupped them in each hand, sighing contently, lightly skimming her thumbs over her aching nipples, pointing to attention and begging to be touched. Slowly but surely, she leant back down and started pressing light teasing kisses around Regina's chest before leading her kisses closer towards to where Regina was begging her to be. Her back was arched as she shifted her body towards Emma's lips. Emma chuckled before she finally took Regina's already stiff peak between her lips causing the brunette to sigh but she didn't relent with her arching back.

"Em," she whimpered, her eyes shutting at the sensation.

"I've got you," Emma murmured before she switched to her other breath, a trail of saliva following her. Once she'd paid equal attention there, she started inching her way down her body, worshiping her body with kisses, nips and licks, enjoying the symphony of moans and gasps of delight that were echoing around the room.

She slowly worked her way down, dipping her tongue into her belly button which she knew always made Regina hiss, she wasn't disappointed, until she was met with Regina's dripping sex. Her mouth watered in anticipation, but she wanted to hold onto the delay, wanting to keep her on the edge as long as possible. She pressed a soft kiss to top of her mound before skipping it completely. She heard Regina's groan of disapproval but ignored it. Tilting her head, she scraped her teeth against the skin where her hip met her sex, enjoying when Regina keened and bucked her hips.

Smirking, Emma then started to trail her kisses down Regina's left leg slowly, nipping and kissing her way down until she was at her foot. She kissed the arch of her foot, enjoying when the brunette giggled at the sensation before she swapped to the other leg starting with her foot and nipping her way back up to Regina's core.

"Baby!" Regina begged, losing patience.

"Yes?" Emma murmured teasingly. She raised her eyes to lock onto the brunette's.

"Fuck me, please!" Regina pleaded, her eyes wide and her chocolate brown pupils turned black with desire.

"How?" The blonde blew gently on Regina's clit, enjoying the way the cool air made it quiver.

"Eat me!" Regina snapped, completely on edge from the blonde's ministrations. "Fucking eat me!"

"As you wish," Emma murmured before she closed the gap in milliseconds, licking her way from hole to clit, swallowing every drop of her juices. She moaned at the taste, it was sweet and tangy and downright delicious, suddenly she couldn't get enough. She lapped up all of Regina's come, licking every crevice, wrapping her lips around Regina's netherlips, humming at the taste, causing vibrations to shoot up to Regina's clit.

Regina bucked her hips at every sensation. Despite the numerous times they'd slept within the last week, Emma had never lost control like this, but she wasn't complaining. Her fists were clutching at the bed sheets, not wanting to push on Emma's head to make her seem like she was forcing her. When Emma slipped two fingers into her deeply and suckled her clit at the same time, Regina fell over edge, biting the back of her hand to stop her from screaming out with Lennie next door.

As soon as her climax started to fade, Emma redoubled her efforts, slipping another finger inside and speeding up her movement and mixing up her sucking to using the tip of her tongue. She didn't stick to the same pattern, keeping the brunette on the edge.

"Em, please!" Regina begged, her voice cracking as she was so close to the edge once again. Emma smirked into her sex before suckling her clit once more and Regina saw stars. "Fuck!"

Emma chuckled as pressed one last kiss on her clit before kissing her way back up her body before sealing their lips together.

"Remind me to cast a silencing curse next time," she teased before she kissed her again. "I mean, I love hearing you, but not when Cora can hear."

Regina blushed before waving her hands. She turned back to the blonde now wearing a huge smirk. "Done. Now let me make _you_ scream."


	24. Chapter 24

After rounds and rounds of passionate love making, the two finally fell asleep around two am in each other's arms, absolutely exhausted.

When they awoke the next morning, they were well rested, despite how eventful the night before had been. Emma was the first to stir. She snuggled into Regina's side, enjoying the comfort that waking up next to her love brought her. She kissed her cheek before slipping out of the bed. After a satisfying stretch, she shook out her limbs and prepared herself for the day.

As soon as she let her mind wander to the day ahead, her mind flashed back to the night before of being trapped by Jacinda. Wanting to distract herself, she picked up her pile of dirty washing and dumped it in the hallway before heading to Lennie's room to pick up her washing too. Despite Regina's teasing the day before for not using magic, magic wouldn't distract her enough.

Quietly, she entered Lennie's room and saw that she was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her, she snuck into the room and picked up her washing before adding it to the pile in the hallway. In the cleaning zone, Emma automatically headed into Cora's room as she had many times before, without knocking. As soon as she opened to the door, she was greeted with a sight she never wanted to ever see which burned into her retinas.

Cora and Rumple were in bed, very,_ very_ naked and clearly very busy. Unable to help it, Emma screamed before running full pelt from the room.

Seconds later, both Lennie and Regina ran out of their rooms. In her haste, Regina hand slipped on one of Emma's old baggy t-shirts, but it was on backwards.

"Mommy?" Lennie whimpered, running forward to hold onto the blonde.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, glancing around, searching for any danger, a fireball already in her hand.

"C…Cora and R…Rum…Rumple!" Emma stuttered, her eyes wide, burned by what she had just seen.

"WHAT?!" Regina screamed before barging into her mother's room. She put out the flame, but her anger heightened. Fortunately, the Cora and Rumple were now dressed and were waiting for the impending doom.

Emma rushed after her to try and calm her down, but it was to no avail. Regina was blazing with anger and her hands were balled at her sides so that she didn't conjure any fireballs in her fury.

"What the fuck is going on?" Regina demanded, her eyes flickering between both of her parents.

Realising this was not a conversation that Lennie should be a part of, as she had followed her mothers into her grandmother's room, Emma took hold of her daughter's hand and started pulling her away from the situation.

"But Mom–"

"Come on," Emma murmured, cutting off her daughter's complaint. "Let your mom talk to your grandparents in private." As she stepped out the room, she waved her hand over the door to cast a partial silencing spell so that Lennie wouldn't be able to hear anything, but she could in case Regina needed her.

Back in the bedroom, Regina was still waiting for either Cora or Rumple to speak. "Well?" She rested her hands on her hips and her eyebrows were raised.

"Regina," Cora started. She swallowed, not sure where she was going.

"Yes, that's my name," Regina snarked. "I asked a question. What's going on here? Are you together?"

Cora glanced at Rumple, hoping to see a reassuring smile like he always seemed to shoot in her direction at times like this, but he was starting straight at Regina, he's eyes blank. Fear was plastered across his face and sheer panic was radiating off his body. This didn't bode well for what was about to happen.

"We hadn't put a name to it," Cora answered instead of what her heart was saying. Just taking in Rumple's reaction was stabbing at her chest and in that very moment, she wished she didn't have her heart back. "We were seeing how things were going."

"But how?" Regina asked. "You hated each other." She turned to Rumple. "Is this a rebound after Belle? I thought you were trying to get back to her?"

Cora's breath hitched at the revelation. She knew that Belle had passed away but as Rumple had never really spoken about wanting to get back to her since they'd started whatever they were doing, she thought he'd dropped it so that they could be together instead. Risking a glance at him, she saw a tear forming in his eye as Regina spoke about Belle and Cora felt her world starting to crumble. Again, she'd put too much of herself into something and it was failing.

"I am," Rumple whispered. He glanced at Cora and saw her eyes sparking with tears before he took a step back from them. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

He then flicked his wrist and disappeared in a cloud of deep red and Cora staggered back, clutching at her chest. She fell onto the box at the bottom of the bed.

"Mother?" Regina gasped quietly as she took a seat beside her. She reached out and took hold of her hand. "What was really going on?"

Cora swallowed before she turned to her youngest, tears in her eyes. "I let myself fall thinking he'd be there to catch me, but clearly, I was wrong. I never intended it to happen, but it was done before I realised."

"Oh, Mother," Regina said softly before pulling her into a hug. "I don't know what to say because I never thought it would ever happen. I mean, Emma's joked about it, but I never saw it. How did it even start?"

"Very slowly yet very quickly," Cora revealed. "I mean, there's not much to say. We were talking over drinks after we started making the memory potion and we were talking about old times, past deeds and before I knew it, he was kissing me, or I was kissing him. We've just been going on from there and all I know is it was making me happy. _He _was making me happy. I have the most wonderful family and for the first time, I was with a man who I thought cared about me. Well you saw his reaction, he never cared. I was just a distraction from Belle's death." Her breath hitched and she blinked, the tears she'd tried to hold back released and started streaming down her face.

"I'm sure that's not true," Regina replied, still holding her mother, a position she'd never been in before nor expected to ever be in. "I'm sorry I reacted so badly, I was just surprised. I didn't think I'd see either of you with anyone else."

Cora smiled sadly, her eyes still full of tears. "Perhaps that's why we fell together."

There was a timid knock on the door. It opened slowly to see Lennie standing there, fully dressed, with a nervous smile.

"Mom wanted to know if you wanted any breakfast," she said. "We made waffles."

"We'll be right there, honey," Regina replied.

Lennie nodded before heading out of the room and skipping down the hallway back to the kitchen.

Regina then turned back to her mother. "You ready for some food?"

Cora released a sigh before nodding. She rose slowly and made her way over to her vanity. Ducking down, she wiped her eyes and pressed gently against them, hoping the puffiness from the tears would fade. When that failed, she wiggled her fingers until the tips went cool and repeated her actions, allowing the cool compress to reduce the redness.

Once she deemed herself ready, Cora turned from the mirror and smiled at her daughter before glancing down, taking in the backwards t-shirt. Her smile then turned into a light chuckle. "What on earth are you wearing?"

Looking down, Regina realised the state she was in. She joined in her mother's laughter and shook her head.

"I panicked when Emma screamed," she revealed before flicking her wrist and changing from the top into a pair of light wash jeans with rips at the knee and a black tank top, keeping in with Roni's style. She saw her mother raise her eyebrow, but she shrugged. "Jeans are a lot more comfortable than those pant suits I used to wear."

Cora raised her hand. "I'm saying nothing." She flicked her wrists and dressed in pair of dark jeans but matched it with a cream blouse with black polka dots. "I happen to be a fan too. Now, let's go join our family and get some food."

The two then headed into the kitchen. Emma and Lennie were already sitting at the table. Lennie was already munching her waffles and had syrup all over her face, but she was clearly loving life. Cora was impressed when there were sliced strawberries and grapes on the plate too.

Emma, on the other hand, hadn't touched the waffles on her plate. When she heard the others approach, she looked up but both Mills' could see the apprehension.

"Is everything alright?" She asked before she realised that there was someone missing. "Wait, where's Rumple?"

Regina's eyes widened and waved her hand in front of her throat in the, "stop talking immediately," motion.

Despite being very confused, Emma just nodded. She jumped up from the table and headed towards the waffle iron, but Regina beat her to it.

"I've got this, you go enjoy yours," she instructed.

"Okay," Emma replied, knowing not to question what was going on. She went back to her waffles and waved her hand over the pile to reheat it before digging in. While she ate, she kept an eye on her girlfriend and mother, trying to work out the tension and figure out what had happened after she'd left the room. Her biggest question was what made Rumple leave?

Once their breakfast was done, Emma recommenced her prior task that caused them to be in this situation in the first place. She headed back into Cora's room and picked up her washing before adding it to the pile in the hallway. She then waved her hand over the pile which stared inching its way into the kitchen. Another wave of her hand and the clothes split into three piles of white, black and colours. Glancing down, she realised she didn't have enough clothes in any pile for a wash.

Sighing, she conjured up a washing basket and made the clothes fly in.

"What's wrong?"

Looking up, Emma realised that Regina had joined her. She looked around the room and saw that Lennie and Cora were no longer in the room.

"Mother is with Lennie," Regina revealed. "Why are you doing the washing? You only did it yesterday."

"I wanted a distraction from last night," Emma replied. She leant against the kitchen counter and sighed. "But there isn't enough so I'm back to square one."

"I can give you a distraction if you want," Regina murmured.

Emma raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Did you not give me enough last night?"

Regina rolled her eyes, but she chuckled. She took a step closer to the blonde and rested her hands on her hips, closing the gap between until their bodies were flushed together. Emma's arms reached up and wrapped her arms around Regina's neck, her fingers weaving into her hair. Their lips automatically met, sharing a sweet kiss. Emma tilted her head to deepen the kiss and Regina couldn't ever refuse her. Their tongues met, slipping deliciously against each other.

After a few minutes, the two pulled back, both wearing soft smiles on their lips.

"I'm guessing that wasn't the distraction you meant?" Emma presumed and Regina nodded.

"Not that I'm complaining, but no," Regina replied, but she was still smiling. "Rumple freaked after I snapped, and he disappeared. We need to find him before he does anything stupid. You were right, he and Mother are together, well I'm guessing you saw that this morning."

Emma's eyes widened as the image flashed before her once more and she shivered. "I never want to relive that!"

Regina grimaced at her own imagination. "Anyway," she said quickly to change the subject slightly, "Mother loves him, she's head over heels which I didn't think was ever possible and now she's ridiculously upset about it all. They deserve to be happy and the two of them together isn't really a bad thing. I mean, every kid wants their parents together and I want him to prove he's not the coward everyone thought him to be."

The blonde kissed Regina's temple softly. "I'll go find him and talk to him. We seem to be pretty good at having deep conversations. I'll find out what's going on in that overcrowded Dark One head of his. I know just how difficult it is working your way around there."

Not wanting Regina to feel guilty over Emma's becoming the Dark One, again, Emma kissed her softly.

"I'll go now in fact," Emma decided. "You stay with Lennie and Mom." The two stepped away from each other. "Tell Lennie I'll be back soon." After a wave of her wrist, Emma's red leather jacket appeared around her shoulders. "Do you have his address? I might as well check there first."

"Yeah," Regina murmured. She flicked her wrist and produced one of Weaver's private index cards that only a select few had access to. "Stay safe."

"I'll be fine," Emma assured her. She reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Regina's ear. "I'll bring him with me." She leant forward and pressed a soft kiss onto Regina's lips before smiling. "See you soon!"

With a final flick of her wrist, Emma surrounded herself in her signature white smoke and headed towards Rumple's home. When the smoke cleared, she found herself in a deserted cul-de-sac, but no one seemed to be around. She couldn't really blame them as it was barely past nine on a Sunday morning. She glanced at the index card in her hand to look for the house number and saw that Weaver lived at number 6. Heading up the short street, she looked out for the house until she came across it.

The house itself was small and quaint, very different to his house back in Storybrooke. Emma had only visited the Dark One's house in Storybrooke only a handful when she'd picked Henry up from hanging out with his grandfather or when he'd been babysitting on the odd occasion so that Rumple and Belle could have an hour or so breather from their baby.

Looking around, the house seemed pretty deserted, she was sure he wasn't there. As she walked up to the porch, she could sense magic. Hesitantly, she reached out and suddenly pulled her hand back from the protection spell. Rumple must have been back to cast the charm after they had brought magic back, but with a wave of her hand, casting a detection charm, she realised that she was the only one there.

Stumped, she headed away from the front door and back towards the street. She tried to think where he would go when he was upset. Part of her was tempted to check Roni's in case he had gone for a drink, but it didn't open until 11 on Sundays so that one was out. The only other place she could think of was the police station, but she didn't know how she'd get in there without bringing any attention to herself.

With a sigh, she realised she'd have to at least try. Flicking her wrist, she transported herself to the bridge with the troll hoping that no one would be hanging out there that early in the morning. When the smoke cleared, she saw that she had been right, before she headed towards the police station. As she approached, she saw Rumple's car outside and knew that she'd found him.

Entering the station, she was met with the officer at the desk who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment. She was leaning on her fist and her eyes were shut.

"Sorry to intrude," Emma said softly and the officer's eyes fluttered open as she woke herself up. Emma tried not to laugh. "I'm looking for Weaver. Where is he?"

"Who's asking?" Asked a very familiar voice.

Emma's insides turned to fire and she had to centre herself to not react to Rogers because of course he would be here. Fate loved to laugh at her.

"I am," Emma answered, feigning confidence. "I need to speak to him."

Rogers swallowed as he took in the blonde. Clearly, not expecting to see the blonde at the station any time soon and not knowing how to react to it, but Emma wasn't having it.

"Where is he?" She repeated.

"He's in the evidence room," Rogers replied eventually. "He said he's not to be disturbed."

"He'll talk to me," Emma said confidently. "Where am I going?"

Rogers sighed. "Even if that were the case, you're not an officer. You're not allowed back there."

Emma glanced around and saw that the officer behind the desk had fallen back asleep and no one else was there. She waved her hand in front of Roger's face and channelled her inner Hermione and casted a confunding charm distract him.

"Let's try that again," she said. "Where's the evidence room?"

Roger's eyes were glazed over with the charm. "Head towards the back and turn left. Go down the stairs and it's the door on the right."

Emma grinned. "Thanks."

She followed his instructions and soon found herself in front of the evidence room. She saw the digital combination lock on the door and sighed. It wasn't like she could sneak up on him if she had to knock on the door to get in. _I wish in knew the code_, she thought and immediately, the buttons flashed up one by one. Rolling her eyes, she tapped the numbers in as was instructed before turning the knob. Unsurprisingly, the door opened and she walked in.

Once inside, she looked for Rumple and found him sitting in the back behind a desk holding a photo frame in his hand. As Emma made her way over, she saw the photo was of Belle. She was grinning at the camera, her eyes were full of joy and love for the person holding the camera which didn't take a genius to guess was Rumple.

"She was the light in my life when I was so very dark," Rumple murmured, realising who was there but not greeting the blonde. "She saw the man behind the monster, and I owe my happiness to her. She died and I couldn't save her, but she died happy because she knew we'd be together again one day. Then the curse happened, and I forgot about her and Cora broke the curse on me. We spent so much time together that old feelings resurrected and things happened. I was so worried what Belle would think about it so much that she came to me in a dream. I thought she was going to hate me, but she told me to love again."

Rumple swallowed and finally looked up from the photo and at the blonde. Emma was standing a foot away from him, not wanting to get too close while he was willingly sharing what was going on.

"I was following her instruction with Cora but then Regina reminded me of Belle this morning, not that I ever forgot about her," he added hastily, thinking Emma was going to judge him for now thinking of his True Love, which wasn't the case at all. "But she mentioned that I was trying to get back to Belle and I realised that I'd lost myself with Cora that I hadn't wanted to get back to Belle. I'm a terrible person."

He ducked his head and let the photo frame slip through his fingers. Just as it was about to hit the floor, Emma caught it with her magic and levitated it back to the table, setting back up but not facing Rumple.

She crossed the gap and perched on the desk beside him. "You're not a terrible person in the slightest," she reassured him, squeezing his shoulder. "Belle gave you her blessing by telling you to love again. She's clearly seen how happy Cora makes you. Hell, I can see how happy you've made her. She's talking about love and happiness like no tomorrow. You know as well as I do that that's not the Cora we once knew. _You _brought that out of her. Look, answer me this. Do you love her?"

"Yes," Rumple whispered, no hesitation at all, "but–"

"No buts," Emma said, cutting him off. "I think there's more to True Love than meets the eye. Soulmates too. I mean, look at Regina and Robin. As much as it sucks to think about it, they were Soulmates and they would have been happy together if he hadn't died. Then there's Zelena and Mal too. Sure, they've had a lot of obstacles, but Hades was Zelena's True Love, but she was able to defeat him, the man she was destined to be with, for the sake of her family. Maybe Cora is your Soulmate. Someone who matches your soul as well as your love. There's always more than one side to things but what I know right now is that my mother is currently moping around that apartment because she thinks you don't love her at all."

Rumple's head snapped up. "That's not true. I'm just scared."

"Don't be the coward that people think you are," Emma said softly. "You're braver than you know. You just have to prove it to us. Walk into that apartment, pull Cora towards you and kiss her with everything you have. When you pull apart, tell her you love her and want to be official and face anything that comes together."

"What about Regina?" Rumple asked quietly. "I can't if my daughter isn't okay with it."

"She's a lot more okay with it than you think," Emma revealed. "To the point that she said everyone wants their parents together."

"She thinks of me as her parent?" The look of hope replaced the panic within seconds.

Emma smiled and nodded. "Well you are her father. Show both her and Cora the strong, brave man I know you are. They just need to see it."

Finally, Rumple cracked a smile, it was small but a smile nonetheless. "I know." He then stated to stand up before he glanced over at the door that had shut behind the blonde. "But before we go, how did you even get in here?"

Emma bit her lip. "I've been meaning to ask you about that." Rumple's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I think I have wish magic. I wished to know the code and then the buttons flashed in the order that I needed to get in."

"When else have you noticed it?" He asked.

"Umm." Emma cast her mind back to occasions that she could think of. "When Cora dropped the strawberry down her, I wished that would happen."

Rumple chuckled. "Any other occasions?"

"When Jacinda trapped me," Emma remembered, "I wished to hear her conversation when she was approaching the room. That's how I knew she was working with Nick. He never actually came into the room."

Rumple nodded. "Any other occasions?"

Emma carried on thinking until her eyes flashed with fear. "Fuck!"

"What?" Rumple asked, worried that something was very wrong.

"This is far too much detail for you, but when Regina and I were first together after her memory came back, I wished that we were making another baby. I wanted to impregnate Regina," Emma gasped. She flung up from where she was resting before turning back to the Dark One, her eyes wide with panic. "Rumple, without magic, would my wish have worked? Is Regina pregnant?"


	25. Chapter 25

Emma continued to stare at Rumple, silently begging him for an answer. A million thoughts were running through her head, all conflicting her. The first thoughts were of another baby, perhaps one that looked more like Regina with dark hair and full lips. She'd be sassy and adorable and Lennie would love being a big sister. The excitement was starting to build before it plummeted.

The next thoughts were of Regina hating her for getting her pregnant at the worse time possible. Despite usually baby making taking two, this time, it would be her fault. Had she then been the reason that they had Lennie? Had she wished that Regina impregnated her on that night?

"Emma," Rumple said gently, pulling the worried blonde out of her frantic inner thoughts. "The honest answer is I don't know. You clearly do have wish magic if things like that are happening. As for did the wish magic happen when there no magic here? I can't tell you. Normal magic didn't work unless there was a lot of power, but this is you we're talking about. I've trained many people in the art of magic, and none have been as powerful as you. In addition to that, I don't know everything about wish magic, I'm just learning on the job. The only way we can find out for sure is by asking Alice, but we have to ask her when she's Alice again and not Tilly."

"Okay," Emma replied and swallowed. "Regina is going to kill me."

Rumple reached out and squeezed Emma's hand. "She won't. Why would she? She loves you and loves children. She's always wanted more."

Emma sighed. "Now really isn't the time for a pregnancy, let alone Regina. I have no idea how she's going to take it if she is."

"There's only one way to find out," Rumple said softly. "But for now, let's get out of here and head home. I have some apologising to do."

"Let's go."

The two then made they way to the door, Emma was impressed that Rumple didn't glance back to the photo of Belle on his desk. Rumple reset the alarm on the door before they walked back through the main office.

When they walked past Rogers, he still had the glazed look in his eyes and vacant expression on his face. He just bid them goodbye and waved them off.

Once they were outside, Rumple turned to Emma. "You confunded him?"

Emma chuckled. "Perhaps. I needed to find you and he was in my way." She shrugged. "I least I didn't knock him out or anything."

Rumple simply rolled his eyes as he led the blonde to his car. "Get in."

At first, they drove in silence and Emma realised she missed the feel of being behind the wheel.

"Do you think we'll be here long enough to need a car?" She asked.

Rumple considered the question for a moment. "The new optimist in me says no. We shouldn't be here much longer if we keep progressing but then the Dark Ones in me say that you should consider getting one because really, we're nowhere near breaking this curse."

"Wow, aren't you chipper?" Emma commented but she laughed to show she was joking. "How about I go without so we can keep thinking that we're close to breaking the curse?"

"You can always take mine if you need one," Rumple offered.

"Really?" Emma asked, her eyes wide at the gesture.

"Emma, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I'd like to think that we could be considered family by now," Rumple sighed as he pulled up in front of her apartment block. "Besides, when you and Regina inevitably get married, I'll be your father in law."

Emma chuckled. "I'll give you that one. Now," she unbuckled her seatbelt, "let's stop stalling and get you inside."

Rumple swallowed nervously before following Emma's action. The two headed out of the car, Rumple locking it over his shoulder, before they headed towards the apartment.

At first, Rumple was tapping his foot nervously in the elevator, but as soon as the doors opened, he took a deep breath and summoned his confidence. He practically sprinted down the corridor towards the apartment door, Emma was struggling to keep up with him at his pace. He unlocked the door, another sign of their relationship was the fact he had a key, and walked into the apartment.

The inhabitants looked up from the sofa where they were watching a film, but Rumple ignored that. He walked straight up to Cora and pulled her from the sofa and into his arms.

"Lennie, look away now," he murmured.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I'm about to kiss your grandmother," Rumple announced.

Cora gasped in shock, but Rumple ignored it before pulling her to him, sealing their lips together.

Lennie looked away as requested and Regina looked on a little hesitantly, but Emma simply watched with a smile. When the two looked like they weren't going to be pulling apart any time soon, Emma coughed quietly and the two sprung apart.

Cora's face was flushed red, both in excitement and embarrassment but Rumple was simply beaming.

"I love you, Cora," he revealed. Reaching up, he cupped her cheek softly, smiling even more when she leant into the touch. "I'm sorry I ran away like a coward earlier, but I don't want to be that man anymore. Belle told me to love again and that's what I'm doing. I mean it, Cora. Despite our pasts, I love you with everything I have, and I just hope that, maybe, you'll accept this old coward who is head over heels in love with you."

Cora smiled before leaning forward and kissing him softly once more. "I love you too," she replied breathlessly.

With strength that Emma didn't know he possessed, Rumple lifted Cora and spun her around in a circle, her laughter echoing around the room. When she was back on the floor, she closed the gap between them once more and kissing him. With a flick of her wrist, the two disappeared in a cloud of burgundy.

Looking up, Emma caught Regina's eye. Both cracked up laughing, unable to help it. Lennie looked up from where she'd been hiding behind a pillow.

"What's funny?" She asked. "What just happened?"

Emma walked over and flopped onto the sofa where Cora had just vacated.

"We'll tell you when you're older," she said before she pecked Regina on the lips.

Knowing when it wasn't appropriate to ask more question, Lennie pressed play on the film that Regina had previously paused.

Emma glanced to her daughter and saw that she was already concentrating on the TV once more before looking back at Regina.

"Can I talk to you about something?" She asked.

"Of course," Regina replied. She smiled encouragingly, allowing Emma to start the topic she wanted to speak about.

"In private," Emma added.

Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but nodded. She turned to Lennie. "We'll just be in our room," she said and Emma's heart soared at the fact she was now referring to her room as theirs. It was pretty much true as Regina spent almost every night there now.

"Okay," Lennie replied distractedly.

Emma rolled her eyes before she headed towards her room with Regina in tow. Once inside, she shut the door and made her way over to her bed.

"What's up?" Regina asked as she took a seat beside her.

"After persuading Rumple that he did love Mom, he wanted to know how I got into the evidence room," Emma begun before realising that Regina had no idea how she'd managed to persuade Rumple to comeback. "Right, quick detour."

She then explained about going to Rumple's house and him not being there before going to the station. When she admitted that she'd confunded Rogers, Regina smirked, but Emma continued before she could comment. She then skipped out how she got into the room before saying what happened to persuade Rumple to come back.

"So Belle told him to move on like Daniel told me?" Regina asked, trying to wrap her head around it. "But in a less creepy way because Rumple didn't have Belle's body frozen like I did with Daniel."

Emma had heard about what Regina had tried to do with her first love. While she didn't agree with it fully, she also understood where she was coming from. A young girl who was so desperate for love would do anything to keep the most powerful love she'd ever experienced.

"Essentially," Emma replied. "I think it worked. God knows what they're getting up to now!"

Regina paled at the thought. "Let's not think about that, please."

Emma chuckled before becoming serious again. "Anyway, he was in the evidence room which was locked by a keypad. I know it would be less effective if I had to knock on the door, so I wished to know the code and then it revealed itself to me so I could get in. I finally asked him about it and he agreed that I must have wish magic if it's working." She then swallowed. "But my main question was would my newfound wish magic work before we brought magic back, because if it did, we could have a situation on our hands."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked slowly, not quite following where Emma was going.

However, just before Emma was about to reveal what was going through her mind, there was a knock on the door.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Emma asked.

"I texted Ivy earlier," Regina revealed. "She never actually told us what happened between her and Henry yesterday, so I thought I'd invite her. What were you going to say?"

Emma shook her head and stood up. "We can continue this later."

Without waiting for a response from Regina, Emma left the room and went to answer the door. Ivy stepped in with a smile, holding a bag.

"I thought I should probably stop stealing all your food, so I brought reinforcements," she announced. She held the bag up slightly higher. "Sabine's beignets from her stall."

The previous conversation with Regina flew out of Emma's head. "Who's Sabine?"

"Tiana's counterpart," Regina replied as she entered the room. "Hello, Ivy."

"Hi," Ivy said softly.

"I'll make some coffee," Emma suggested.

Ten minutes later, the three women were sitting on the sofa with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a beignet in the other. Lennie was also eating the sweet treat but with a glass of milk instead.

"These are yummy!" Lennie commented. "Moms, can I have another?"

Regina raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "Magic word?"

"Please?" Lennie gave her mothers her best puppy dog eyes and pouted her lip.

Emma chuckled. "Sure, take another, but that's it for now."

"Thank you!" She then reached forward and took another treat before settling back on the sofa with her milk and started watching the film.

"Sophia loves Frozen," Ivy commented as she recognised the film. "Olaf is her favourite."

"He's the only one who isn't real," Emma replied. "Elsa and I are friends. She told me."

Ivy raised her eyebrow before shaking her head with a light chuckle. "I forget that these films are all based on real people from our world. I dread to think what my counter part looks like. I refuse to let Soph watch Cinderella."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, perhaps that's not the one for you to watch. I still want to watch Snow White with these two and point out that the scary one is based on Regina, but she won't let me."

Regina scoffed. "I am not having my daughter associate me with that psychopath. I went after Snow for telling my secret that ended in Daniel's death, not because she was _prettier_ than me." She hissed the word as if it was acid on her tongue.

"I'm messing," Emma said, the statement paired with an eyeroll. "_Anyway_, have you managed to cast the protection charm on your mother?"

Ivy nodded. "Yes. I made a surprise visit before I came over."

"How did she take that?" Emma asked. "These beignets are really good too."

"Sabine will be thrilled," Ivy commented. She chuckled before sobering. "Mother took it quite well actually, but she seemed rather distracted. Apparently Jacinda never made it home last night and she didn't arrive this morning to drop Sophia off." She glanced Emma. "How hard did you hit her?"

Emma raised her hands up in defence, albeit one was covered in powdered sugar which seemed to lessen the effect. "Enough to knock her out for an hour or so but no more than that." Glancing at her hand and seeing the sugar, she dusted her hands over the packed on the table. "I presumed Nick would find her and help her home. She must be with him."

Ivy paused to think about it for a minute. "I just don't know how she's roped him into it. Hansel was on our side. He and Ella didn't know each other in the Enchanted Forest, did they?" She glanced at Regina, hoping she might have an extra insight.

"No, I don't believe so," Regina agreed. "Henry met Hansel when he was travelling in Agrabah so when their paths crossed again in the Enchanted Forest, Henry asked him to join. He clearly doesn't have his memory and Jacinda is probably promising to sleep with him in return."

"I highly doubt it," Emma added darkly. "You saw the way Jacinda spoke about Henry last night. She's absolutely obsessed with him. It's a type of love I've never witnessed. I just don't get how it started."

Regina smiled sadly. "Nor do it."

Ivy frowned. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was because I wanted him," she murmured. "Anything I wanted, she had to have. Henry is no different." She sighed and leant forward. "I miss him so much. Last night was horrible."

Finally, it had come around to what they wanted to discuss the night before. Emma hadn't wanted to bring it up, but the time was here.

Smiling softly, Emma reached out and squeezed Ivy's hand gently. "What happened?"

Ivy drained the rest of her cooling coffee before placing the mug onto the table. She linked her fingers together and rested them on her lap.

"So, once I knew Mother and Jacinda would have arrived at the pub, I headed to Henry's," she began and the story unfolded.

Ivy had arrived at Henry's a bag of nerves. She'd knocked timidly on the door and it was opened to Henry's baffled expression.

"Ivy, what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice waving between distrust and curiosity.

"I'd like to talk," she replied. "Can I come in?"

Henry hesitated for a fraction before slowly relenting. "Sure, do you want a drink?"

"Please." She stepped over the threshold and followed her love into the kitchen.

As if on autopilot, Henry opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of cream soda which Ivy adored. He poured the two of them a glass before placing it on the table.

"What's up?" He asked nervously.

Ivy took a sip of her soda, biding her time until she realised she should just rip off the plaster. "I miss you."

"Ivy," Henry sighed. He reached back to itch the top of his neck, his go to move when he was uncomfortable. "You know that ship has sailed."

"No, I don't," Ivy replied. She placed her glass back onto the table. "I mean it, Henry. I miss you and I miss our daughter. She needs her mother."

"She's got–"

"Do not finish that sentence," Ivy warned, her voice low. Her eyes with an anger she'd never felt before. "Jacinda will never be Soph's mother. Over my dead body." She practically growled. "Sophia Enna is my daughter, not hers."

Henry swallowed. "I know," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He reached out and squeezed Ivy's hand and she automatically calmed down. Henry's touch had always that effect on her.

"I'm sorry too," she murmured before slowly turning her hand and linking her fingers with his. The familiar feel of his callouses from wielding swords both in battle and when he was teaching her. "I'm sorry for everything." She wasn't just apologising for their fake pasts and Ivy's misdeed, but for everything that happened with Jacinda that even led them to where they were. Seeing the pity in Henry's eyes was what threw her over the edge and tears started to fall. "You're the love of my life, Henry. You don't deserve what happened."

It was then that Henry seemed to realise that they were now holding hands. He pulled his away as if he'd been burnt. When he went to say something, a cry was heard from down the hallway.

Ivy's motherly instinct kicked in and she ran from the kitchen, following the sound before she reached Sophia's room. She pushed open the already ajar door before crossing the room. Perching on her daughter's bed, she reached out and cupped her cheek softly.

"It's okay, sweetie," she murmured gently. "Mommy's here."

Sophia's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Mommy?"

"Hey, munchkin," Ivy said softly.

"Mommy!" Sophia flew out the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother, now completely wide awake. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too, baby," Ivy said, her voice breaking as she held her close. "I love you." She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "Now, let's get you back to sleep."

"But Mommy–"

"You'll see me next week," Ivy assured her. "It's time to sleep, sweetheart." She motioned for Sophia to lay back down before standing slightly to pull the duvet back up. "Now, it's time to dream of beautiful things." She started stroking Sophia's forehead softly. "Waterfalls and mermaids from the south lagoon of the Enchanted Forest. The tiny fairies in the distant caves."

Soon enough, Sophia's eyes fluttered shut and her quiet snores fill the room. Slowly, she waved her hand over her daughter, casting the most powerful protection charm she knew. She watched as Sophia's body glowed an iridescent yellow showing that the spell had worked. Leaning back, she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. After pressing one final kiss to her daughter's forehead, Ivy stood and returned to the kitchen.

Henry was still sitting in the kitchen, flicking through something on his phone. Glancing up, he saw Ivy hesitating. Just as both of them were about to speak, Ivy's phone began to ring.

"That was when you called me," Ivy said, breaking out of her story telling as she took in Regina and Emma's reactions. "So, I never even got to test the waters with him. I didn't get close, but I'm not complaining. I got to see my baby and she still considers me as her mother."

Emma reached out and squeezed her knee. "Of course she does. You _are_ her mother, Ivy, and always will be. We'll make sure nothing happens to her." She sighed and was about to continue when her stomach grumbled. Looking at the clock, she realised it was well past lunch time.

With a wave of her hand, she conjured up a tray of sandwiches, ham for Lennie, egg for herself and cheese for Regina.

"What are you in the mood for?" Emma asked Ivy, not quite sure what she her tastes in sandwiches were.

Ivy chuckled. "I'm easy. I'll have cheese."

Emma smiled. She waved her hand one more and produced another cheese sandwich. The conversation paused while they ate, Lennie scoffing her sandwich in minutes. She picked up her glass to take a sip before realising it was now empty. She flicked her wrist and the glass swapped from empty to full of juice. Grinning, she happily took a sip before settling back to start watching the next film of choice. With a quick glance, Emma realised it was Hercules.

"So what happened with Victoria?" Emma asked once she'd finished her sandwich.

Ivy sighed and placed her empty plate onto the table. "Nothing really. I went over to ask if she had a good night at Roni's and she didn't really say what happened. She turned her back on me to make a coffee, so I cast the spell then. I don't know if she felt it. She didn't comment on it."

Regina shook her head. "No, she doesn't possess any magic. She shouldn't remember it."

A knock was then heard on the door before it was opened to reveal a very chipper looking redhead.

"Honey, I'm hoooooome!" She sang.

"Shut up, Zee," Emma chuckled. "Important conversation going on."

Zelena's laugher stopped abruptly. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Ivy said. "I was just saying what happened last night with Henry and this morning with my mother. Where's Robyn?"

"Robbie?"

Lennie finally brought her eyes away from the screen and looked around the room as if trying to find her cousin. She frowned when she couldn't see her.

Zelena smiled as she plonked herself down beside her sister. Seeing her niece frowning, she opened her arms and invited her to sit on her lap. Lennie grinned and headed over.

"Margot and I opened up Roni's and shortly after opening, a newbie walked through the door," Zelena said. "She was blonde, pale and adorable. Goes by Tilly and Margot is already head over heels for her."

"Alice?" Emma predicted.

"You betcha!" Zelena cheered. "That'll keep Margot occupied and if they can break the curse on each other, Alice will be fine."

Emma's eyes widened. "The loophole!" She gasped as she realised it. "Jacinda said Alice couldn't be awoken before the curse broke, but if Robyn breaks the curse on her then–"

"Then they'll both be awake at the same time," Regina finished. "We just have to make sure they don't break the curse on each other until we're about to break the main curse." She turned to Zelena. "Don't let them get too close too soon."

Zelena nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She glanced around the room. "Where's mother?"

"With Grandpa," Lennie answered.

"Oh?"

Regina and Emma glanced at each other, neither knowing how to explain what was going on. Even Ivy raised her eyebrow. She'd noted the absence of the matriarch but had other things on her mind that had taken priority.

"What's going on?" Zelena asked, her head flicking side to side between her sisters.

Emma looked at Regina and smiled encouragingly, indicating that Regina should be the one to reveal what was going on. They were her parents after all.

"They're together," Regina said eventually, her voice quiet.

"That's what Lennie said?" Zelena said, confused, failing to see what was going on.

"No, Zee, they're _together_," Regina emphasised. "Like, in a relationship."

Zelena's jaw dropped in shock. Her head snapped to Emma's hoping she was going to laugh it off, proving that what Regina had said was a joke.

When Emma didn't say anything, Zelena just laughed once. "Jesus, I wasn't expecting that. When did they tell you?"

Emma shuffled in her seat and Regina chuckled.

"Emma kind of caught them in the act and it all came out."

"WHAT?"

It was then Emma's turn for story time. She filled both Zelena and Ivy in about what had happened that morning between her and Rumple, and Regina shared what she and Cora had spoken about.

"In the end, Rumple declared his love for her and they disappeared," Emma finished. Her eyes flashing, imploring the redhead not to make any inappropriate jokes about the situation.

However, before she could, a cloud of burgundy appeared and Cora and Rumple stepped out, both looking frantic.

"If it isn't the happy couple!" Zelena cheered with a laugh before she saw the severity in her mother's face. "What's going on?"

Cora swallowed nervously. "Gothel's free!"


	26. Chapter 26

Silence shot through the room as everyone tried to comprehend what Cora had just announced. It was Emma who recovered first.

"What do you mean she's free?" She asked quietly. "How?"

"She's at the station," Rumple revealed. "Rogers found her in a basement on her own." His eyes widened as he emphasised her location. "Apparently there was just a dim lantern for light and graffiti on the wall that looked like a cult logo."

Emma then understood what he was getting at. "The basement I was taken to?"

Rumple nodded. "The very same." He paused as he tried to explain what was going on. "Rogers received an anonymous tip about her whereabouts. I mean, I heard the tape and it's obviously Jacinda, but I couldn't say that to Rogers. He was very pleased that his hard work was for a reason."

"But what happens now?" Emma asked.

"That's the question indeed," Rumple sighed. "She needs to have all the checks and taken somewhere safe to stay. I just know for a fact that Rogers will offer his own place as a safe house, but we can't be having that."

"We can," Regina disagreed. "We can set up a containment spell on the apartment and put a tracker on her, we'll know her every step." When Rumple looked like he was going to argue, Regina cut him off. "Think about it, we know their plan. They want to get to Sophia, Victoria and Lennie." She swallowed when she said her daughter's name.

"Me?"

Everyone turned to see that Lennie was looking worriedly at her mother. She shuffled from Zelena's lap and into her mother's.

"Why would someone want me?" Lennie asked, confused. "I have magic. I'm fine."

Regina smiled softly as she ran a finger through Lennie's hair. "You're still just a child, my darling, even if you do have incredible magic." Lennie ginned at the compliment. "We still need to keep you safe." She turned back to Rumple. "Can you do that?"

Cora looked at Rumple too, silently saying something to him before Rumple sighed.

"I'll go now and get it done," he said and stood up. "I'll also head to the office and compliment the former pirate for succeeding. I'll see if I can talk to Gothel while I'm there."

"Be careful," Cora cautioned.

"I always am," he replied. He leant down and pressed a soft kiss against her lips before flicking his wrist, disappearing in his signature cloud of deep red.

Once the smoke faded, Ivy sighed. "I'd better get going too. I can check up on Mother and see if Jacinda ever turned up to keep playing her role."

"Call us if anything happens," Regina requested.

"Of course."

Ivy then bid the women goodbye before repeating Rumple's actions but disappearing in her cloud of blue.

Emma glanced at the where the smoke disappeared before looking at Regina who was playing with Lennie's hair.

"Where does the colour come from?" Emma asked.

Regina dropped Lennie's hair and turned to her girlfriend. Realising that Regina was now preoccupied, Lennie stood from her lap and headed to the sofa where Cora was sitting and picked up the remote to watch something on TV.

"I'm not sure," Regina replied. "Mother, do you know?"

Cora looked up from the screen and paused to think of the answer. "I've never thought about it," she said eventually. "I suppose everyone just has a different type of magic and your location can come into play. I mean, Zee, your magic was developed in Oz which is very much associated with green. Regina, ours is from being associated with royals as purple if a very majestic colour and Emma, well you're the saviour and the daughter of True Love, yours was always going to be white."

"Why is mine pink?" Lennie asked.

Emma hadn't even known that her daughter was paying attention. She was still looking at the TV when she posed her question. When no one replied, she looked around.

"I guess it's because you're a mixture of your mothers," Cora replied. "Pink is halfway between white and purple."

"Okay," Lennie said before going back to the TV, happy with the answer she received.

Emma raised her eyebrow at her daughter before shrugging it off. Lennie could be a bit of an oddball sometimes.

"I'll make dinner," Emma said instead of responding to her daughter.

Regina offered to help, but Emma wanted some time to think and cooking always gave her that. She got out the ingredients for a stir fry, wanting something quick and easy.

With a wave of her hand, a chopping board settled against the top and a knife started slicing up some chicken, she hated chopping raw meat, before getting another chopping board and knife out to start prepping the vegetables manually. She pulled a carrot towards her and started peeling it into strips.

As she peeled, she let her mind wander enough to ponder what had just happened but not lose concentration so that she would cut herself. She tried to put herself back into her bail bond days when she was tracking someone. She would put herself in their position and figure out what they would do next.

Jacinda would surely be in panic mode. She'd revealed all her plans to the person on the top of her kill list but then they got away. So now Emma predicted she would leave Sophia and Victoria alone until she got Emma. Now, Emma had magic when Jacinda didn't. This was probably why Gothel had been let out to play. Jacinda needed someone with magic, clearly wanting to fight fire with fire.

Emma moved on from peeling the carrots to slicing up an onion into fine strips and crushing some garlic cloves, rather impressed with herself that neither vegetable had started to make her cry.

Her next question was how would Gothel and Jacinda meet up if the former was going into police protection? Perhaps she would offer her a place to stay? No, she knew Henry wouldn't allow a complete stranger into his home, not when he had Sophia to think about. There had to be something else…

It wasn't hard to figure out. Jacinda still had Victoria wrapped around her finger because the older woman was completely oblivious to what was going on. Yes, Jacinda would ask surely ask Victoria to allow her to stay in a nearby apartment after her stint in the safe house was over, if not, to just put her back wherever she had been hiding before.

With Gothel free, Emma would have to up her guard. She would need to be on alert whenever she was alone and if she was working at Roni's. Regina had said she was going to reschedule the rota so that no one was ever alone. It meant that people would be doubling shifts, but she had claimed it was needed after what had happened the night before. Although Margot was going to pick up some shifts again which would help.

What would be their plan if they couldn't get to Emma? Either Sophia or Victoria. She just couldn't figure out which came first. Unless they could tackle them both together? That sounded too convenient.

Emma was still trying to understand what Victoria had meant by combining the three. Gothel was one for sure and Lennie but was the other? Waking Regina as the brunette had thought? But that seemed too obvious, so she tried to remember what else Victoria has mentioned.

"I've got it!" She murmured more to herself than anything.

"What?"

Emma looked up and saw that Regina had made her way over carrying the empty plates from lunch. She placed them in the sink beside where the blonde was now onto slicing the peppers.

"The third thing that Victoria meant," Emma said realising she should probably say her idea out loud to try and wrap her mind around it. "Motherhood."

"Come again?" Regina asked as she got the wok out the cupboard to start frying off the chicken. She turned the heat off before turning back to the blonde.

"Gothel is one, Lennie is the other and the last thing is motherhood," Emma revealed. "Think about it. One of her first things she said was insulting my mothering skills regarding Lennie, but maybe she was talking about mothering skills in general. She's a terrible mother, I gave Henry up and yeah, I essentially let Lennie steal the memory potion. You know what Gothel's full name is, don't you? Mother Gothel."

Regina's brows furrowed as she stepped over to the blonde, pulling the knife out of her hand so that she wouldn't hurt herself while she was concentrating. "I don't follow."

Emma reached out and pulled the brunette to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Gothel is behind everything. We're just pawns is what Victoria said. Gothel wants to become the mother of everything and everyone. That's her ultimate goal."

"What does Jacinda get out of this?" Regina asked, trying to wrap her head around everything Emma was saying but failing.

"Henry as hers and Victoria dead," Emma replied. "She's simple. She doesn't realise that she's just a small piece to the bigger picture."

"Then why does Gothel want Lennie?"

Emma bit her lip. "I don't know the answer to that one."

Instead of replying, Regina leant forward and pecked the blonde on her nose making her smile. "Well that's enough deducting for now. Let's cook."

Emma nodded and Regina went to step away from her embrace before Emma pulled her closer to steal a kiss or two, or three.

Chuckling, Regina removed Emma's hands from her body and stepped back to the wok. She added some oil and turned the heat back on.

Within fifteen minutes, the food was plated up and put on the table. Lennie rushed over from the sofa and started digging in immediately. Glancing up at the clock, Emma realised that it was close to seven which was much later than Lennie usually ate.

"Sorry, it's late," Emma murmured before she dug in.

Once they finished their meal, Zelena offered to do the pots afterwards. Well offer was kind of the key word. She simply waved her hand and the dirty pans and plates washed themselves.

"God, magic is beautiful!" She sighed happily.

"Too right!" Lennie agreed. "Auntie Zee, watch this."

Lennie stood up and stretched out her hands in preparation. She then flicked her wrist and produced a fireball which Regina went to put out when she saw her daughter messing with fire, but Emma pulled on her arm to stop her.

"Wait," she murmured.

Regina nodded and stopped her movement as she watched her daughter.

The fireball in Lennie's hand then reduce until it was a little flicker in her palm. The young blonde's tongue was sticking out as she concentrated. The little flicker then became two, then four, then eight and so on before they started changing colours as they bounced around Lennie's hands. They were yellow, orange, blue, green and many more. Every time they bounced, the colour changed, before they slowly started getting bigger again. Finally, Lennie waved her hand once more and the small flickers rejoined to make the original fireball but now full of different colours.

"Tada!" She cheered and Regina started clapping.

"You're so talented for so young," she complimented and Lennie blushed.

She closed her hand and the flame disappeared. "I'm just as good as what Grandma and Mom taught me."

"Hey, don't forget my lessons!" Zelena piped up.

Lennie rolled her eyes. "Yes, you too, Auntie Zee."

Emma chuckled. "Now, it's time for a bath before bed. Do you want to do it alone or want me or your Mom to help?"

Once again, Lennie rolled her eyes. She was getting too much like Regina, it was scary. She pondered the question for a moment before deciding. "I can do it, but can someone wash my hair?"

Lennie's blonde hair wasn't just long, it was also rather thick which could have come from either of her parents.

"Okay," Emma agreed before letting Lennie run along to the bathroom. She knew well enough that Lennie would used her magic to fill the tub, so she didn't have to worry about the apartment getting flooded.

Once she was gone, Regina turned to Emma. "Tell them what you were telling me earlier."

"What's going on?" Cora asked.

Emma sighed before repeating to Cora and Zelena what she had said to Regina before dinner about what she though Gothel's plan was.

When she was finished, Cora looked unimpressed and Zelena just looked annoyed.

"It wouldn't surprise me," the witch muttered. "She's always gone for people who have children. She liked to take the child under her wing and separate them from their parents. It's like she has some bizarre complex about children. Take Jacinda. Gothel killed her mother and then turned her against Victoria and took her away from her. She went after Robbie too and try to take her from me. It was actually Alice who stepped between them and she just left her alone. She's always been very wary of Alice and no one really knows why. Then with Sophia, she tried to take her one night, but Ivy and Henry got in the way. I guess that's why she calls herself Mother Gothel."

Cora listened to her daughter, considering what she was saying. "So it's just daughters then?"

"I guess," Zelena shrugged.

"Then perhaps we should play her at her game," Cora suggested. "We have another set of mothers and daughters here."

Emma's eyebrows shot up to her hair line as she turned on her mother. "Are you really insinuating we send Lennie in there?!"

"What? No!" Cora gasped. "Jesus, no. I mean you or Regina who can handle yourself. She can try and take you from me. I would never offer Elena up as bate."

The blonde blushed at her error. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

Cora reached out and squeezed her hand. "It's alright."

Just as Regina was about to offer her opinion, Rumple's signature cloud of smoke appeared and he stepped out of it looking very pale.

"Rumple!" Cora called before rushing over to help him onto the closest sofa. "What happened?"

"She's a daemon," he hissed. He flicked his wrist and five dreamcatchers appeared. "I don't have the effort to tell it all."

Understanding what he meant, they all pulled a dreamcatcher towards them before Rumple projected the prior events into it to share with them.

The scene unfolded in their minds. They appeared at the station after setting up the charms at Roger's apartments. They followed Rumple into Roger's office who was nowhere to be seen.

"He's in the interrogation room, Weaver!" Said someone behind him. "He's got the missing girl."

Rumple nodded and headed out of the room and towards the aforementioned room. He knocked on the door and headed in.

"Weaver, glad you could make it!" Rogers greeted happily. "We did it. This is Eloise. Eloise, this is Detective Weaver. We're going to help you and make you feel safe. You can trust us."

Rumple eyed Gothel with as much distaste as he possible could. If Rogers sensed the tension, he was clearly oblivious. "I'll go get the documents you have to sign," he murmured before exiting the room, leaving the two behind.

As soon as the door snapped shut behind him, Rumple sneered. "So, they let you out?"

Gothel laughed humourlessly. "It's time for my part. Jacinda, bless her efforts, is flailing alone. She had one job, to kill the Saviour, and she couldn't even do that."

"Teamed up with the wrong crowed then, Gothel," Rumple taunted.

"I'm with the right people for what I need," she answered. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Rumplestiltskin."

Rumple weaved his fingers together. "Humour me," he murmured, taking a leaf out of Emma's book from her night with Jacinda. "Perhaps I can help you."

Gothel eyed the Dark One with distrust. "Your help doesn't come for free."

"We could make a deal?" He suggested.

The witch considered his offer, summing up the pros and cons of making a deal with the Dark One, knowing many had fallen fool to it before.

"Fine," she murmured. "I'll make a deal with you, Dark One, but I call the shots. If you want the information, you have to provide the correct price."

Thinking it wouldn't be anything too bad, Rumple said. "Name it."

Gothel smirked. "I'll tell you my plan, if you give me your grandchildren. All three of them."

Rumple's eyes flashed before he reached out, cupping the air as he mimicked choking the woman. Gothel tried to scream but nothing came out as her face turned red and her eyes bulged.

"You will not touch any of them," he growled.

He heard shuffling coming towards the door. Panicked, he dropped her grip on her and stepped back.

Gothel gasped for breath, taking in deep breaths. "Only a coward goes straight to his magic," she rasped. She tried to swallow and hissed at the pain. "Fine. Give me the offspring of the saviour and your daughter. She'll be enough."

"No," Rumple said firmly. "That's not the deal."

"You promised I could pick what was at stake," Gothel taunted. "Not so big and brave when you're not calling the shots, are you, Rumplestiltskin?"

The Dark One's eyes flashed with anger. He went to reach out again when the door flew open and Rogers piled in, his arms full of paper.

Never before had Rumple been so grateful for the pirate's arrival. He pushed back from the table and headed towards the door.

"I'm not needed here," he said as a way of explanation. "You have this under control, Rogers."

Impressively, Gothel was able to switch from the dangerous psychopath to the scared, nervous woman she had been pretending to be when he had first arrived. However, what she didn't know that during his strangulation, he also cast an undetectable tracking charm on her. Wherever she went, he could follow.

As he stormed his way through the office in his fury, he couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself. Back before he'd gone to Storybrooke, if Gothel had offered to reveal her secrets in exchange for a family member, he would have done it. No hesitation. If he needed the information, no one was going to get in his way.

But he did get some information out of her. Just the fact that Gothel wanted Henry, Lennie and Sophia meant that they were her main targets. With that in mind, he headed back to the apartment.

As Emma put down her dreamcatcher, she took in a shaky breath. She looked at Regina who mirrored her expression of fear but before either of them could say anything, they heard Lennie shout that it was time for someone to wash her hair. So lost in the moment, Emma had forgotten Lennie was in the bath.

"I'll go," Zelena offered and she was out of the room before anyone could agree to it.

"That bitch!" Emma cussed. "If she thinks she's getting anywhere near my children, she's got another thing coming!"

"Em," Regina said softly, trying to calm her down. "She won't get close. We'll make sure of it."

Emma nodded and swallowed but was still could feel her blood boiling under her skin. She had no idea how to calm down when she was this angst up. In the past, she had either gone to a boxing ring or gone for a long run. Neither were idea at the moment.

Zelena then arrived and said that Lennie wanted her mothers to tuck her in.

Emma and Regina stood up and headed into their daughter's room.

"Hey there, snugglebug," Emma greeted with a smile. When Lennie smiled back, she felt herself relaxing. Clearly her daughter's presence was another way to calm her that she hadn't thought of before.

"Hey," Lennie replied. "Can one of you wash my hair next time? Auntie Zee made lots of knots."

Emma chuckled. "Of course, monkey. We're sorry. Grandpa need to talk to us about something."

"Was it about the scary lady who wants to get me?" Lennie mumbled, a shake to her voice.

Regina and Emma exchanged worried glances. "What scary lady, sweetheart?" Regina asked, horrified.

Lennie swallowed. "I keep seeing a scary lady in my dreams," she whispered. "She keeps asking me to join her and call her mother."

At the words, Emma daren't look at her girlfriend, not wanting to see the worry plastered on her face too.

"How long has this been happening?" Emma asked instead.

Lennie shrugged. "Every few nights. Maybe a week or so?"

"The night terror," Regina whispered before reaching out and pressing her fore and middle fingers against Lennie's temples softly. A small purple light came out of the tips. "This is to protect your dreams, my love," she explained. "You'll be safe tonight."

"And tomorrow?" Lennie asked, her voice wavering as she tried to hide her fear.

Usually, Elena seemed very mature for her age but in that moment, Emma saw the fact that she was only seven and still so young and scared.

"Every night," Regina assured her. "You'll always be safe as long as we're here." She leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "We love you."

"I love you too," Lennie muttered sleepily as her eyes started to flutter shut.

"See you in the morning, monkey," Emma murmured before repeating Regina's actions and kissing her temple too.

The two then stood from where they'd been perched on the side of the bed before heading out into the hallway and back to the living room. Upon entry, they realised that Zelena was no longer there.

"Margot called," Cora revealed, "and wondered where she was so she headed home."

Emma nodded before sitting beside her mother. "I think Gothel has been visiting Lennie in her dreams."

She then went on to explain what Lennie had said, starting with her night tremor and the fact that the woman in her dream kept telling her to call her mother.

"That sounds like Gothel," Rumple murmured darkly. He then waved his arms, reaching out before pulling an invisible force together. He interlocked his fingers before throwing what looked like nothing into the room. However, the entire apartment seemed to shake a fraction before settling.

Emma waited, thinking Lennie would run out of her room in fear, but it seemed she slept through it.

"An extra protection shield," Rumple explained. "It should be impossible for her to penetrate these walls without us knowing."

"Thank you," Regina murmured. She took a deep breath before looking at the blonde. "It's been a long day. We should get to bed."

Emma nodded and stood up. "Night," she bid to Cora and Rumple before following Regina into her room.

As was typical, the two sorted themselves out in the bathroom before returning to the bedroom where they stripped down to nothing and slipped into bed. Emma opened her arms for Regina to nestle in.

"I've been thinking," Regina murmured softly.

At the tone, Emma felt fear flash through her body and her heart started to beat loudly as her nerves rose. She knew Regina would be able to hear it too which caused her anxiety to grow.

"That doesn't sound good," Emma replied, trying to keep her voice even.

"It's nothing like that," Regina assured her. She closed the gap to kiss her softly in attempts to calm her down. It didn't really work.

"Then what is it?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I think you and Lennie should leave Hyperion Heights. Take her back to Storybrooke or Wonderland, just get out of here."


	27. Chapter 27

"What!" Emma all but screamed. "You want me to leave?" She flew out of the bed, conjured her dressing gown around her body and started pacing. "I just got you back. We're finally a family and you want me to leave?"

Regina quickly cast a silencing charm around the room in case the blonde continued to yell so that they didn't wake Lennie or have Cora and Rumple come barging in thinking they were in danger.

"Em, that's not what I meant," Regina murmured. She sat up from the bed and watched Emma as she paced, not wanting to get too close yet and overcrowd her. "I want you to be safe and the safest place for both of you is to be away from here."

Emma stopped dead in her pacing before slowly walking towards the brunette once more. She perched on the side of the bed and took hold of Regina's hands in hers. Her anger seemed to disappear in a flash as she heard the vulnerability and worry in her voice.

"The safest place for me to be is with you," she said softly. "We're a team, Gin. We've always been stronger together." She reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You know that."

Regina slowed. "I know, but I–"

"No buts," Emma said, cutting her off. "We stay together as a family. We get Henry back and all of us will go back to Storybrooke to see what state it's in after my mother has been left in charge. If there's any Storybrooke left at all."

Unable to help it, Regina shivered. "Zee told me," she murmured before pulling the duvet down. "Now get into bed, I'm cold."

Emma chuckled. "Well if you hadn't tried to kick me out of Hyperion Heights, you wouldn't have lost your human radiator."

The blonde slipped back into bed and allowed Regina to snuggle back in.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Regina murmured as she wrapped her arm over Emma's stomach. "Yours and Lennie's safety are the most important thing to me. Henry's too."

"I know," Emma assured her before pressing a soft kiss against her lips. "Your safety is important to me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left and you got hurt. Gothel is powerful but she won't get past us. After everyone we've defeated in the past, this will be easy."

Regina sighed as she took in what Emma said. She wanted Emma and Lennie to be safe and being out of Hyperion Heights was the first idea that had sprung to mind, but then she realised that the blonde was right. The power of their magic combined was something to be reckoned with, hell, Emma alone was incredibly powerful.

While Regina was pondering what had just happened, Emma's mind was going over their conversation when she had returned from finding Rumple and before Ivy had arrived. She needed to know what Regina thought about the possible pregnancy. It could go one of two ways. Regina would either be thrilled or terrified.

Emma swallowed nervously. She shuffled in the bed so that she was face to face with the brunette.

"Gin–"

However, Regina clearly had other ideas. She cut the blonde off with a soft kiss, allowing their tongues to tangle together. "I don't want to talk about it anymore," she murmured, not knowing what Emma was about to say. "Make love to me, Em," she whispered against her lips.

Never one to deny her Queen, and knowing they could speak about it in the morning at least, Emma kissed her back with a hunger she hadn't realised she was feeling.

"With pleasure."

oOoOo

A week passed and Emma still hadn't managed to bring up the conversation with Regina. In between shifts they were working and the heightened watch on both Lennie and looking out for either Jacinda or Gothel, she didn't succeed in bringing it up.

Whenever they worked together, they were too focussed on work and once they'd finished, they'd just flop in bed. Then there were the nights when they weren't working together so they weren't in the same place to talk about it.

However, while Emma had been working separate shifts to Regina, she was able to spend more time with Zelena as they two hadn't spent much time alone since her waking up and she'd managed to spend some time with Margot to get to know this side of her. It was fascinating hearing about her trips and all the places and people she'd visited or seen. It made her want to pack her own bags and whisk Lennie and Regina away.

It was times like that when she realised that she didn't include Henry in her plans. Seeing him as a grown man was odd. She missed the ten-year-old who snuck away to meet her all those years ago. She hadn't seen him since the night he'd come to Roni's with Jacinda and with Gothel out, she was starting to get a little worried. Both she and Regina had agreed that someone needed to cast a protection charm over him, but as they hadn't seen him, they hadn't had the chance. Emma had also asked Ivy is she'd been able to, but she hadn't seen him either. When Sophia had been brought over to her apartment that Saturday, she was dropped off by Victoria. Ivy had tried to ask her mother why, but she'd remained weirdly schtum.

So, as Emma was working with Remy that Sunday evening, she was rather surprised to see Henry walk in all by himself. He walked straight across to the bar and flopped onto a bar stool. He had dark circles under his eyes which showed that he hadn't been sleeping. His hair was usually messy, but it looked particularly dishevelled that evening with some bits sticking up that she'd never seen before.

All in all, he looked a mess.

"I'll have the strongest you have," he sighed, even the tone of his voice was defeated.

Emma raised her eyebrows before heading to the back and picking up two bottles. "Tequila or whisky?" Never before did she think she would be offering her son the choice between the two. She could already hear Regina scolding her in her head.

Henry glanced between the two before nodding towards the whisky.

Emma nodded in approval. "Good choice."

After placing the tequila back in its place, she poured out a hefty amount of whisky in a tumbler, not even asking if he wanted it on the rocks. He clearly didn't want it diluting.

Once she'd placed the glass in front of him, Henry picked it up and downed it in three sips before asking for another.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked as she refilled his glass.

As it was a Sunday evening, the pub wasn't that full as most people had to go to work the next day. Even if it had been packed, she still would have offered her son the chance to talk. He could clearly need it.

"I don't want to waste your time," Henry sighed as he sipped his refill, slower than the previous.

"Don't be silly," Emma replied with a soft smile. "I'm a bar tender, we're really good listeners." _And I'm your mother_, she added in her head.

Henry sighed before swirling his glass around. "I just don't know what I'm doing."

Emma's brows furrowed before she leant against the counter. "In what respect?"

"My job sucks," Henry said. "I'm essentially a cab driver. I wanted to be an author and wrote a book, but it flopped miserably." He laughed bitterly. "So I gave up. Then my love life is all over the place. Ivy and I got together in high school and she fell pregnant just after we finished and we had Soph. It was going so well, I was about to propose, but then Jacinda told me she'd been cheating on me with Nick. My best friend!"

Emma bit her lip at the revelation. The curse had picked the best person for the fake story, but she couldn't concentrate on that while Henry was still sharing his story.

"So I ended it and then J and I got close and now we're here." Henry brought the glass up to his lips and took a deep sip.

"Is she the issue?" Emma asked, trying to probe gently into what he was thinking. "Jacinda?"

Slowly, Henry placed the tumbler back onto the table and looked up at the woman he had no idea was his mother.

"She's just acting so secretive," he revealed slowly. "She's stared volunteering to help rehabilitate the woman who went missing. She goes over to Roger's house to teach her how to cook and all this other stuff that she won't tell me. I've no idea who this Eloise is."

So that was the cover story, Emma realised. It didn't surprise her. Rumple had said that his tracking spell on Gothel was working but she just hadn't left the apartment. Again, that was no surprise as she was on house arrest until she felt settled at being free. Though it wasn't much like freedom if she had actually been a missing girl.

"I don't know who that is," Emma lied. "I'm new in town."

Henry nodded. "You seem to have slotted yourself in well. I'm happy to see Roni so happy. She deserves it."

Emma grinned. "She's amazing. I'm very lucky there." Looking up, she saw that Henry looked very torn. "You can forgive Ivy, you know. She's clearly very sorry and she misses her daughter."

At that, Henry frowned. He finished his second glass but pushed it away from him, indicating that he didn't want another. Well, not yet anyway.

"I hate that Victoria did that," Henry revealed. "I said I wanted Sophia to stay with Ivy, but Victoria has always liked J more which I also don't get. I thought stepparents hated their step kids?" He shook his head before sighing again. "She came over last week and told me she missed me and it got me thinking. I miss her like crazy, but I can't just leave Jacinda. She's not done anything wrong."

Emma half smiled. "Sometimes you have to put yourself first."

She swallowed and bit her lip nervously. Half of her wanted to tell Henry what had gone one between her and Hook, well a part of it, because she thought it might help the situation a little. The other half, however, just like with Regina, didn't want to tell him while he was cursed.

Instead of speaking at first, she pulled herself a small tumbler from the top shelf and poured two fingers of whisky along with filling up Henry's empty glass.

"Don't tell Roni," she said with wink and finally, Henry cracked a smile.

"Your secret is safe with me," he promised and Emma felt her heart bubble with happiness like she had when they'd shared their first secret back in Storybrooke.

She took a hefty sip before placing the glass back down. "Before I came here, I was in a horrible relationship," she revealed slowly. "He was a monster, but I stayed until it became too much and I had to get myself out of there. Well, I had to be dragged out of there by my mother, but sometimes you need someone to help you out. I can help you if you need me to."

Henry half smiled but sighed. "But you're not my mother."

Emma physically had to bite her tongue to stop her from saying, "yes I am." Instead, she recovered quickly. "Where are your parents?" She asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Who knows," Henry replied, a sharp bitterness in his voice. "I never met them. They gave me away and I was brought up in the system."

"What?!" Emma gasped and she felt her blood boil. The curse had wiped away his adoption. "You were adopted!" The sentence was out of her mouth before she could control it.

Henry, who had started swirling his glass once more, dropped it harshly onto the table. Both ignored the splatters of liquid that hit the bar. "Barely," he scoffed. "The family gave me back before I was three because they had their own baby."

Again, Emma had to try and school her reaction and not let another one slip. It was becoming frightening how similar his fake story was to her real one. Realising that, she decided to use it to her advantage to calm him down.

"I know the feeling," she murmured softly. "The same happened to me. I was three and was returned. My parents gave me away too and when I found them later, they weren't all they cracked up to be."

"I guess," Henry sighed. "Maybe my issues with parents is what led me to write myself them." He laughed humourlessly. "I wrote in my book that I was adopted by the Evil Queen from Snow White and that my real mother was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming. Stupid right?"

"Not at all," Emma said quickly. "In fact, that sounds like a great basis for a story. Do you have a spare copy? I'd like to read it to my daughter."

Henry shot the blonde a look that showed that he thought she was insane before he reached into his backpacked and pulled out a semi battered copy.

"Knock yourself out."

Knowing now was not the time to ask why he carried a copy with him, Emma simply put it down on the edge of the bar so she'd remember to pick it up before she left.

Before either of them said anything else, Henry's phone started to ring. He simply watched it until the buzzing stopped.

"It'll be J," he sighed. "I'd better get going before she has a fit. Sophia is with Ivy which will probably piss her off more. Then again, I don't know why she gets so pissy about it when Ivy is her mother. She has every right to look after her daughter."

Emma shrugged slowly. "I'm afraid I can't help you there."

She was cut off when his phone started buzzing again. However, this time, he picked up the phone and answered it. The call took all of a minute before he was standing up and finishing his drink. He reached into his back pocket and threw down a twenty.

"I'm glad I came in here tonight," he said with a smile. "I didn't realise how much I needed to talk and you were the perfect one."

"You can talk to me whenever you need to," Emma promised. She pulled a beermat towards her and wrote her number down on it before passing it over. "Call me if you ever need a chat."

Henry picked the mat up and checked out the number. At first, his brows furrowed and Emma thought that he was remembering that he already knew the number. Both Regina and Emma had made him memorise their numbers when he was younger should there be an emergency.

However, the recollection faded as he slipped it into his pocket.

"See you later, Emma."

"Bye, Henry."

With a final hesitant smile, Henry made his way towards the door.

Using having his back to her to her advantage, Emma glanced around to make sure no one was waiting for a drink or looking at her before casting a protection spell on her son. She watched as his body glowed an iridescent yellow for a second before fading, showing that the spell had worked. Now, if he even cut himself, she'd know about it. Henry carried on walking, completely oblivious to it all, and headed out into the night.

Once he left, Emma turned around and reached up to ring the bell signalling that it was final call. Only one customer made use of the call to order a new drink while others started to gather their belongings and leave.

Twenty minutes later, Emma called out that the pub was shut and she and Remy started clearing and cashing up.

"See you later, Emma," Remy said as he pulled on his coat to leave once everything was done.

"Bye."

Once Remy was out the building, Emma waved her hands to lock the door and shut all of the blinds. Not wanting to be alone for any longer, she picked up Henry's book and flicked her wrist transporting herself back home in her cloud of white.

When the smoke cleared, she saw that Regina was laying on the sofa with the TV on quiet. Typically, it was another FRIENDS rerun but it was an older episode as Ross still had his monkey. However, on closer inspection of the brunette, she realised that she was fast asleep.

Chuckling quietly, she placed Henry's book on the coffee table before she crossed the space between them and kissed Regina's lips softly.

"I'm home," she whispered.

"Emma?" Regina mumbled sleepily as her eyes fluttered opened before she yawned. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight," Emma said. "Let's get you to bed."

Regina yawned again before nodding, her eyes threatening to close again.

With a smile, Emma simply took hold of her hand and transported them to their room. Another wave of her hand and they were lying side by side in bed. Within seconds, Regina was out like a light, snoring quietly into the night.

Emma pressed a soft kiss against her forehead before she switched the bedside lamp onto its dimmest setting. She flicked her wrist and Henry's book materialised in her hands. She turned the book over to the blurb.

_For Emma Swan, life has been anything but a happy ending. But when she's reunited with Henry – the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago – on the night of her 28__th__ birthday, everything changes._

So, the book really was their story but told from Henry's perspective. Suddenly wide awake, she turned to the front page and began to read. As she read, she fell in love with the way that Henry wrote. His style was flawless and even though she knew what was coming due to living the story, she still felt herself getting lost in his words.

The most interesting aspect for her throughout reading it all, was the inuendoes and subtle hints that the author threw towards Emma and Regina. It seemed that Henry had been rooting for his mothers to get together from the very beginning.

Once she reached the end few chapters, she started to learn more about what had happened to him after he had left Storybrooke. She read about his adventures in Agrabah where he helped Jasmine in her castle before meeting Nick and becoming very good friends.

The last segment was dedicated to him meeting Drizella and falling in love. His writing described her as the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on and that he finally knew what people meant when they described their True Love. Their love was one to rival the greatest love stories which is clearly why it was starting to crack through the false pretences that the curse had conjured up.

Emma conjured up a small notepad and pen and wrote down a list to help her organise the key things that they needed to do to break the curse and what they needed to avoid at all costs.

By the end of the it, there were fortunately more things they needed to do than avoid which gave her hope. Then again, the list seemed to be ever going.

In amongst making sure everyone stayed safe, they needed to find a way to break the curse in the first place, but they couldn't do it too early otherwise there could be issues with both Henry and Alice. They needed to figure out what Jacinda and Gothel were planning. A week had gone by and yet nothing seemed to materialise. Rumple had tried to meet with Victoria to discuss everything, but she refused to meet him which was making matters worse.

The final item on Emma's list was, "tell Regina about the possible pregnancy." With that done, Emma placed the notepad on her bedside table and turned out the light. She snuggled closer into Regina, wrapping her arm tightly around her waist and pressed a kiss into her hair. Seconds later, she was asleep.

oOoOo

Emma awoke the next morning feeling very hot, an excitement running through her body that only usually came when she was tittering over the edge of a powerful orgasm. As her brain caught up with what was going on, she realised that was exactly the case. Glancing down, she saw her favourite brunette was nestled between her legs.

"Ginny?" Emma meant to say her name evenly, just to show she was awake, but it came out as a low groan.

"Busy," came the muffled reply.

Emma gasped as she felt Regina's wet tongue sliding up and down, gathering Emma's come on her lips, before she settled around her clit. She suckled it gently between her lips, toying it with the tip of her tongue until Emma let out a breathless cry, coming powerfully to say she was only conscious for a minute of the brunette's affections.

Regina continued her gentle suckles, allowing Emma to rid out her orgasm, before she slowly started kissing up her body, placing a long kiss on her lips. Emma groaned at her taste on her lips, pulling her back in for more when Regina tried to pull away.

"What was that for?" Emma asked breathlessly when they finally parted. "Not that I'm complaining."

Regina simply grinned. "I wanted to wake you up and that was the first idea that came to mind."

Emma chuckled. "Well, it is an amazing way to wake up. In fact…"

She wiggled her eyebrows before pulling the brunette close to her once more, kissing her thoroughly before nipping her way down her jaw line and kissing her ear. She nipped her lobe harshly before soothing it with her tongue as she rolled over to straddle her hips.

"You are so beautiful," Emma sighed as she looked down at the brunette. Her chocolate irises were blown wide with desire, her lips were slightly bruised from their powerful kisses and her hair frame her like a dark halo. "Absolutely breath-taking."

Slowly, she leant down before kissing her way down her body. She spent time worshiping her breasts, nipping her stiff peaks before soothing it with her tongue, knowing how much Regina adored that, until she was face to face with her prize.

She took a moment to appreciate the glistening sex, completely wet because of her, before she took one hesitant lick, knowing the lightness would infuriate the woman above her.

As if on cue, Regina groaned and bucked her hips towards Emma's face. "Em!"

Smirking into her sex, Emma repeated her actions, each time pressing more firmly, her strokes going directly over her clit, crisscrossing to keep her on the edge. Reaching up, she pinched Regina's nipples sharply the same time she sucked her clit harshly and Regina gasped in pleasure, Emma's name tumbling from her lips.

With a satisfied and proud smile, Emma made her way back up to the brunette and kissed her firmly, sharing their combined come together.

"Care to join me in the shower?" Emma suggested as she started to make her way out of the bed.

"I'm right behind you," Regina replied.

Emma smiled before flicking her wrist to conjure up her dressing gown. "I'll start it running."

Regina nodded and watched the blonde leave the room before she got out of bed herself. She stretched and turned to neaten the duvet when she noticed a book and note pad on the bedside table that definitely hadn't been there the day before.

The book she recognised. Henry had told her about it and she'd also read it to Sophia when she'd been babysitting. It was the notepad that confused her. She picked it up and Emma's familiar handwriting greeted her.

Squinting, she read through the to do list, agreeing with every point until she got to the last one. Two words stuck out like a sore thumb. Regina. Pregnancy.

Panic rushed through her body and her blood turned cold. "EMMA!"


	28. Chapter 28

The door banged opened as Emma rushed back into the bedroom, one hand still wet from testing the temperature of the water in the shower and the other engulfed in a fireball, ready to aim at a foe.

"Where are they?" She asked, looking around the room for any sight of Jacinda or Gothel.

Regina shook her head before shakily holding out the notepad. Realisation dawned on the blonde and she diminished the fireball and dried her wet hand on her dressing gown.

"Regina, I can explain," Emma implored as she took the notepad out of the brunette's hand. She placed it back on the bedside table before pulling Regina's hands into her.

"Who's pregnant?" Regina asked, her voice shaking.

Emma swallowed nervously. "Possibly no one," she replied, "but maybe you."

Regina let out a strangled noise before she fell back onto the bed. Her eyes were flickering side to side as she tried to comprehend what the blonde was saying but was failing miserably. "I don't understand."

With a reassuring smile, Emma crossed the space between then and crouched in front of Regina. She took hold of her hands once more. "Let's shower and then we can talk about this, yeah?"

Slowly, Regina nodded and allowed Emma to pull her into the bathroom. All while they showered, Regina was distracted. She didn't really speak but allowed Emma the lather the soap around her body, enjoying the feel of her hands slipping over her skin. She even sighed when Emma gave her a brief head massage while she washed her hair.

Once Regina was all washed, she returned the favour. She loved running her fingers through Emma's long hair, both wet and dry, and she loved the fact that Lennie had gotten that gene from her blonde mother.

Emma sighed at the ministrations before she turned around. When they were face to face, she gently placed her hands on Regina's cheeks and pulled her gently forward for a soft kiss.

"Ready?"

Regina nodded and the two of them stepped out of the shower. Both wrapped in soft warm towels, they headed back to their room to dress. They took their time as they pulled on their clothes, both choosing a pair of jeans, but Emma pulled on a thin jumper and Regina went with a black t-shirt and stole one of Emma's flannel shirts. As much as Emma missed seeing the brunette in her tight pencil skirts and borderline revealing blouses, she loved seeing Regina dressed so relaxed.

"Breakfast first or do you want to talk?" Emma asked nervously.

"Talk, please," Regina replied. "I need to know what's going on."

Emma nodded and swallowed nervously. She perched on the edge of her bed and pulled her knees up to her chin, her go to move when she was nervous. Regina stayed back to give her some space.

"We've pretty much established that I have wish magic, right?" Emma began and Regina nodded slowly. "Well the first night we, _you know,_" she glanced up at Regina to make sure she was on the same page.

"I know," she confirmed with a small smile. She moved to sit beside her but still didn't reach out to her.

The blonde nodded absentmindedly and swallowed once more. "Well, I kinda wished we were making another baby. More specifically, I wished I was impregnating you, for want of a better word."

Regina released an audible breath before her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But there was no magic then, it wouldn't have worked." Then her face relaxed as she faked a smile and finally reached out and pulled on Emma's knee to get her to open up. "I won't be pregnant."

"But–"

"No, Em," Regina cut off, her voice was soft but there was an edge behind it. "Besides, I can't get pregnant, you know that. There was no magic when you made the wish. Even someone as powerful as you couldn't conjure something up like that." She kissed Emma's cheek. "We're fine." She then stood up rather suddenly. "I'll make some breakfast."

Without waiting for Emma to respond, Regina left the room, leaving Emma to her thoughts. She really wanted to know more about wish magic but there weren't any books she could read in Hyperion Heights about it. For the first time, she wished she could talk to Belle. The woman would be able to point her way to the right book but that would never happen.

With a sigh, she stood from the bed and followed Regina's trail of perfume to the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom!" Lennie greeted from the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her.

She was dressed in a green jumper and a pair of dark jeans. For once, her hair wasn't tied up in a ponytail, allowing the golden curls to rest around her shoulders. Emma realised then that she needed to her hair cut as it was getting a little tatty at the ends. She'd have to ask Cora to do it as she had a steadier hand with the scissors.

"Morning, monkey," Emma replied as she took a seat beside her daughter. Emma glanced around. "Where's your mom?"

"She said she needed to speak to Auntie Zee," Lennie revealed. "She made me breakfast and then left."

Emma stared at the door, willing it to open and Regina would walk in, but it didn't happen. Instead, she pulled the cereal box towards her. As she poured the cereal into her bowl, she realised that it was not the usual breakfast she had but Regina had swapped out her Cheerios for granola. Rolling her eyes, she sighed before digging in anyway. She was hungry.

When she finished, she picked up both her and Lennie's bowls and took them to the kitchen side. She leant against the counter, staring at the table in front of her, trying to figure out what was missing until it hit her.

"Where's your grandmother?" Emma asked, realising that Cora had yet to make an appearance.

"Out," Lennie replied with a shrug. "She went to Grandpa's before Mom left." She nodded to the kettle. "She left you a note."

Emma headed to the kettle and picked up the small sheet of paper.

_Girls,_

_I've gone to Rumple's to help him with Victoria. I'll be home for dinner._

_Love,_

_Mother_

Emma shook her head as she read the note. "It would be nice to get the information before they go." She sighed before pushing off the counter. "Anyway, it's Monday. Time for some work, young lady."

"But Mom!"

"No buts," Emma chuckled. She crossed the room and picked up three of Lennie's workbooks. "I'll be nice and let you choose. English, Maths or Science?"

"English, please."

Emma rolled her eyes. That was no surprise as she knew her daughter loved the subject as much as Henry had. Putting down the other books, Emma made her way over with the English textbook. She placed it on the table and turned to the last page they'd been working on before she started her lesson.

Throughout the morning, Emma was rather distracted, wanting Regina to turn up but she never did. She shot her a quick message, asking if everything was okay but it went unanswered. Panicked, she sent another through to Zelena, just to check that Regina hadn't lied to their daughter about her whereabouts, and the witched replied with a quick message.

_She's here and safe. Don't worry._

That was all she got. Emma had no idea why Regina felt the need to rush off. She'd pretty much shut down the idea that she was pregnant, what was there to talk about? She sighed and flipped her phone so that the screen was resting against the table.

"Mom?"

Emma looked back at her daughter and saw that she was looking at her worriedly. "Yeah?"

"What's wrong?" Lennie asked. "Did you and Mom fight?"

The elder blonde gasped. "What? No, of course not."

"Then why did she leave?" Emma could sense the panic in her daughter's voice. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Is she staying away?"

"No," Emma assured her. She reached out and squeezed her daughter's hand. "She just needed to talk to Auntie Zee. Sometimes we just need to talk things through with people. Your mom loves us. She's not going anywhere."

As she said it, Emma was reassuring herself as well as her daughter. Regina loved her, she knew that, but her irrational fear of abandonment was kicking in again which was throwing her for a loop.

Emma's phone then buzzed once, indicating she had a new incoming text. With a breath, she flipped her phone over to the screen and saw a message from Regina.

_I'm sorry, I needed to talk to Zee about things. I'll be home for lunch._

With a sigh, Emma read the message and shot back a quick, _okay_, before closing down her message app to reveal her background picture. It was a picture of her and Regina, taken sneakily a couple of days ago by Zelena. They'd been sitting on the sofa, cuddled into each other while watching a film. They happened to glance at each other at the same time and moved in for a kiss. Zelena took the opportunity to snap the image and sent Emma a copy of it later with a sick emoji but Emma had just chuckled.

Looking at the image, Emma could see the love they shared for each other as clear as day. She didn't need to be worried that Regina had left. She was an adult and could come and go whenever she wanted. It was just the fact she didn't tell her that she was going which was bothering her.

"Mom?"

For the second time, Emma glanced up at her daughter. "Yeah?"

"You're being weird today," Lennie commented. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Emma chuckled. "Who's the mother here?"

In response, Lennie just raised her eyebrow, ever Regina's daughter, and rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine," Emma said. "I promise. There's just a lot going on at the moment and I don't know what to focus on."

Lennie seemed to contemplate her mother's words for a moment. "Grandma always says make things smaller before putting them back together. Like with magic. Focus on one thing at a time."

"Wise words, monkey," Emma agreed. She stood from the table and kissed Lennie's head. She glanced up at the clock and realised that Lennie had been working for just over an hour. "Keep working for another half an hour and then we'll have a break. We can go to the park if you like?"

"Yes!" Lennie cheered. "Can I have some juice?"

Emma nodded and set to making her daughter a drink and herself a coffee before returning back to the table so she could answer any questions Lennie threw her way.

After the half an hour, the two put their coats on before heading out to the park. Emma left a note on the table should Regina come home before they came back but it was barely past half ten, so she wasn't due back yet.

Lennie reached for her mother's hand, making Emma grin happily, before they headed towards the door. Emma locked up behind her and the two began to make their way to the park. As they walked, Lennie greeted all the birds she walked past.

When they reached the park, it was deserted, the cool October weather clearly putting people off. However, neither Lennie nor Emma seemed bothered by it. Emma was wearing her typical red leather jacket and Lennie was wearing a black peacoat over her jumper.

As they entered the park, Lennie immediately ran over to the swings and settled herself in.

"Mom, push me!" She requested.

With a grin, Emma headed over and started pushing her daughter gently, enjoying her giggles as she got higher and higher.

Once Lennie got in the swing of it, quite literally, Emma stepped away, allowing her to take control. She walked over to the bench and took a seat. Pulling out her phone, she checked for any messages, preferably from Regina, but there were no notifications.

With a sigh, she put her phone away and looked up to check on her daughter. However, she was no longer on the swings. In fact, she was no longer alone. Lennie was now on the slide with a smaller brunette who Emma recognised immediately. Looking up, she saw the young girl's mother approaching.

"Fancy seeing you here," Emma commented with a smile. "How's Sophia?"

The two glanced over to see the two girls, chatting happily on the top of the slide. Both were giggling loudly, enjoying each other's company.

"She's good," Ivy replied. She tilted her head as she watched them interact. "Does Lennie know she's Sophia's auntie?"

Emma shook her head. "Not yet. I wanted the curse to be broken first so that both of them would understand what was going on."

"I guess," Ivy said with a sigh.

The two were quiet for a moment before a sudden thought came to Emma. "How are you even here?" She asked. "It's Monday. You should be at work and it's not one of your days with Sophia, right?"

"Right," Ivy affirmed with a tight-lipped smile. "Mother is acting very oddly. J was late dropping Soph off again, so Mother said she was still owed the full weekend time which then ate into my time with her. I started to get angry but then Mother said that she would extend my time with her and let me have today off work with her." She glanced over to her daughter who was now being pushed on the swing by Lennie. "So here we are."

Emma glanced over to the girls too and smiled fondly. Lennie clearly loved spending time with Sophia and getting to act like an older sister figure. It gave her hope for if Regina was pregnant or if she wasn't, for a later date when they tried for another, if Emma got her way that was.

A quiet cough was heard and Emma realised that she'd dozed off into space. Looking to her right, she saw Ivy looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Sorry, dozed off," Emma murmured. "But I mean, that's great for you but also very odd. Rumple has been trying to meet with her but it's not working. Cora's helping him plan something today, but I don't know what it could be."

"A plan for what?" Ivy asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"To get her on our side, I believe," Emma replied. "I just don't know how they'll do it."

Ivy sighed. "I have no idea. I can't tell how awake she is or if she even knows I'm fully awake. Well apart from not remembering how the curse was actually cast. Where's Regina?"

Emma didn't answer at first as she watched the two girls jump off the swings and start playing tig. Lennie was giggling with delight as she was able to run faster than the four-year-old, but Sophia was determined to catch the other.

Realising that she'd zoned out again, Emma turned back to the brunette beside her. "With Zelena apparently." She sighed. "Sorry for spacing out. I just have a lot going on in my head."

"I know the feeling," Ivy sighed. "You can talk to me if you need to, you know. I know we've not known each other long but it feels like I've known you for ever with the way Regina and Henry have spoken about you."

As Ivy brought up Henry, Emma was reminded of the conversation she had with him the night before. She hadn't yet had the chance to talk to Regina about it, but she knew that Ivy needed to know what was going on with him.

"Talking about Henry," Emma began quietly. "He came into the pub last night. He's having some issues with Jacinda."

"Really?"

Emma could hear the hope in Ivy's voice. She smiled encouragingly at her. "Yeah. Apparently, she's always home late because she'd out helping the lost girl get rehabilitated."

At that, Ivy raised her eyebrow. "So she's not even hiding what she's doing? They're clearly planning something."

"Exactly," Emma concurred before sighing. "The question is what is it and how do we find out?"

The two were silent as they thought about it. Neither knew how. They didn't have anyone they could really use as a spy because it would be too obvious to send anyone like Zelena or Regina in when they were definitely never going to have a change of heart.

"We really do need Mother on our side," Ivy murmured.

"That's what Rumple keeps saying," Emma replied.

"What does Regina say?" Ivy asked. She always liked to know Regina's opinion because she was nearly always right about something. Despite getting to know Rumple a little more in the last couple of weeks, Ivy was still a little apprehensive around her fiancé's grandfather.

Emma sighed. "I don't know."

Ivy took in Emma's reluctance to keep speaking about Regina. "Is everything alright between the two of you? You seem to shut down every conversation about her this morning."

Just as Emma was about to answer, Lennie and Sophia ran over, both giggling.

"Mom, I'm thirsty," Lennie stated.

Emma chuckled. "Hi Thirsty, I'm Mom."

"Moooom!" Lennie whined, tilting her head to the side. "I need a drink."

At that, Emma simply raised her eyebrow. "There's no one around, honey. You can use your magic."

"Really?"

Emma nodded. "Yes, but only when your mother or I are with you and when we say it's okay. Your grandparents too. Do you understand, Len?"

Lennie nodded emphatically showing she completely understood. She took a step back from her mother and future sister in law before turning to look at Sophia before grinning. She flexed her fingers, summoning her concentration and magic. Flicking her wrist, she produced a beaker of juice in each hand before passing one to Sophia. The youngster took it happily, both taking large sips before placing them back onto the floor and running back over to the slide.

"I'm so happy they get on so well," Ivy commented. "Sophia is so reserved and quiet but with Lennie, she thrives."

Again, the two watched their daughters play. They were back to playing tig and this time, Lennie was allowing Sophia to get within a foot before running away last minute.

Ivy took in Emma for a moment while she was distracted. It was more than just the recent events with Jacinda and Gothel that were worrying the blonde. She was family after all and she wanted to know what was going on with her. However, knowing just how closed off she could be, from tales shared by Regina and Henry over the past few years, she knew it was going to take a while to knock down her walls.

She did know, however, that she could be distracted and use a different conversation to weave into the deeper ones. What else better to talk to the blonde about to get her to open up than the main person they had in common. Henry.

"So, what was Henry saying about Jacinda?" Ivy asked, trying to pose the question as conversationally as she could.

Emma looked away from the girls and back to Ivy. She sighed before leaning back on the bench, the cold metal seeped through the leather, but she didn't seem to notice.

"He started off saying that he didn't understand why Jacinda was helping Gothel," Emma replied. "Then he started telling me the fake story of you two getting together in high school and you falling pregnant just after. Apparently, you cheated with Nick?" At that, Ivy nodded glumly but Emma continued. "Then he mentioned you going over the other evening and told him you missed him. That seems to have opened the can of worms. He misses you too and doesn't know what to do about it." She smiled at the brunette when she grinned with hope. "Even after what Ivy apparently did, I think Henry, the real Henry, is trying to get out because he's very much in love with Drizella."

Ivy chuckled. "You know, I think the only good thing about this curse is that I got a new name. Drizella really is awful."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "That's all you got from it?"

"It's just a side thought," Ivy said, still laughing quietly. She then sobered. "What do you think I should do?"

"Are you dropping Sophia off there later?" Ivy nodded. "If Jacinda isn't there, stay a while. Show him what it's like to be a family again. I think if we should Jacinda that she doesn't have his heart, she, at least, will get desperate."

Ivy considered the blonde's words before grinning. "Done."

She took a deep breath when she realised that her plan to use Henry to segue into what was really bothering the blonde had failed pretty badly. Instead, she decided to channel her inner Regina and just be blunt about it.

"Emma, what's going on with you and Regina that you don't want to talk about?" She asked.

The blonde's head snapped to the side at Ivy's bluntness. She didn't whether to be impressed or offended. Instead she just shook her head.

"We seem to have had a passive argument," Emma revealed with a sigh. "As in, there wasn't an argument at all, but Regina left the apartment."

Ivy's brows furrowed in confusion. "How come?"

Emma was silent for a moment. She didn't know if telling someone would help. She'd always been a suffer alone person. Snow had tried to get her to share what was going on, but she never really found that she wanted to share what was going on inside her head until Cora came along and pretty much forced her to speak about everything. Zelena too was just like her mother in that case. It seemed that the Mills' had always had a way with getting Emma to talk.

As she though about it, Ivy was in extension a Mills now. Well, she would be when the curse broke and she and Henry finally got married. Thinking of that too, she realised that Ivy was family. She didn't want to know what was going on in Emma's head to hurt her, she wanted to help.

With her decision made, Emma realised a long sigh. "I have wish magic," she began. "And I may have caused a problem."

When Ivy looked even more confused, Emma gave her a few examples. She told her what happened on the occasions when her wishes had been granted like the strawberry and wanting to know the keycode. She then told her that she'd spoken to Rumple who had confirmed her gift as she could see that on the tip of her tongue to ask. Finally, she got to telling Ivy about the latest development with Regina, speaking quickly to get it all out.

"So really, Regina might be pregnant, or she might not," Emma said with a sigh. "She didn't take it well, convinced herself that it would never be possible. She's clearly gone to Zelena's about it because she doesn't want to talk to me about it."

Once she finished, she slumped over and rested her head in her hands as she recalled Regina's disbelief over the whole thing.

As Ivy listened, she realised there was one aspect of the possible pregnancy that Emma hadn't addressed yet.

"Can I ask something?" She asked carefully.

Emma leant back and nodded. "Sure."

"Do you want Regina to be pregnant?"

At the question, Emma looked down as if trying to school her thoughts. After a few moments of silence, Emma finally looked back to the brunette.

"Yes."


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: Trigger warning for a brief discussion on miscarriages in this chapter. Apologies to anyone affected._

When Emma and Lennie stepped through the front door of the apartment twenty minutes later, Lennie headed straight to the bathroom and Emma went to the kitchen to start prepping lunch, but something, no some_one_ stopped her in her tracks.

Regina was sitting at the kitchen table, her eyes staring ahead of her, but they weren't focussing on anything. She was holding something in her left hand. Her grip was so tight her hand had turned white.

"Gin?" Emma called carefully as she made her way over. "What's wrong?"

The former queen didn't answer Emma's question. Instead she simply held out the item in her hand.

It was a pregnancy test.

Emma's heart started thumping loudly as she took hold of it, her hands were shaking as she took the stick. She glanced at Regina for a reaction, but her face was passive. Finally, Emma glanced down at the test and gasped.

"It's positive?" She turned to Regina, beaming brightly, so suddenly overcome with sheer happiness that she couldn't barely keep it in.

Regina swallowed and blinked, letting a tear escape. "Yes."

Emma dropped the test on the table, ignoring how it bounced off and onto the floor, and pulled Regina out of her chair and kissed her but quickly pulled back when the brunette didn't respond.

"Aren't you happy?" Emma asked nervously when she realised that Regina hadn't smiled since she walked through the door. "We're having another baby together?"

"Happy?" Regina repeated, her face finally showing her emotions. She was clearly as far away from happy as possible. Her eyes were blazing, Emma could almost see the flames within the chocolate brown. "How could I possible be happy over something I had absolutely no control over?! You wished this on us! I don't want another child. Henry was enough for me."

Emma took a step back as if Regina burned her. "Only Henry?" Her question came out barely above a whisper.

"I didn't know about Elena, did I?" Regina asked rhetorically. "I didn't have a choice in the matter with her either. Clearly you _wished_ I was impregnating you at the time! I don't have time to be pregnant when Henry is still cursed."

Tears sprang to Emma's eyes as she listened to Regina's words. She knew she lashed out when she was upset or scared but she honestly couldn't understand why she was being so cruel about all of this. This wasn't the woman she wanted in hers or her daughter's life.

"Get out," Emma snapped, her voice low. "If you don't want to be a part of Elena's life or mine then leave. I didn't do this on purpose."

Regina's didn't even seem shocked at Emma's words. She was so lost in the situation that she couldn't understand anything that was going on.

"Fine!"

With a flick of her wrist, Regina disappeared in her cloud of purple. Once it faded, Emma let out a loud sob of despair before she slid down the kitchen cupboard, wrapping her arms around her knees tightly as she broke down.

She was always left. It's how everything ended.

Only a few minutes later, she felt someone snuggling up beside her. If Lennie had announced her presence, Emma hadn't heard her. Instead, she just opened her arms and cuddled her daughter tightly.

She wasn't sure how long they sat like that before she heard Lennie's tummy gurgle and she realised she had to stop feeling sorry for herself; she had a daughter to look after.

"Sorry," she murmured as she pulled back. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hands, silently cussing when they weren't stopping. "What would you like for lunch?"

Lennie's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I think we should have some pasta," Emma answered her own question as she stood up. "We can have it was some cheese. Mac and cheese." She nodded to herself. "Sounds delicious."

"Mom?"

"We could even have bacon bits on top," Emma continued to distract herself. None the wiser that her daughter was watching her as if she'd gone insane.

"Mom!"

Finally, the yell pulled Emma out of her thoughts. Her head snapped to the side to look at her daughter as if she'd forgotten she was in the room.

"What's wrong?" Lennie asked again, her voice thick with worry.

"I'm fine," Emma replied, far too quickly to be true even if Lennie hadn't just witnessed her sobbing on the kitchen floor.

"Don't lie to me," Lennie huffed.

At the phrase, Emma was pulled back to Henry yelling the same thing to her back in Storybrooke.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I can't talk about it right now." She swallowed. "Mac and cheese good for lunch?"

Lennie didn't believe her mother at all, but she nodded. "Sounds great. Can I borrow your phone to play Temple Run?"

Distracted with now preparing their lunch, Emma nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket before handing it over to her daughter. With the device in hand, Lennie ran back into her room and started going through the contacts until she settled over the one she wanted.

Pressing call, she put the phone next to her hear. "You need to come home. Now."

In the kitchen, Emma was grating the cheese as she didn't care for the premade packets you could find in the store. She cussed when the block of cheese kept slipping through her fingers as she gripped onto it with too much pressure. Giving up, she waved her hand over the lumps on the counter until it was all perfectly grated. Another wave and she added it to the milk and pasta in the pan before manually adding some salt and pepper.

She was so involved in cooking that she didn't hear the apartment door opening and two people walking in.

"Emma?"

Spinning around on her heal, Emma turned and saw Cora and Rumple standing in the centre of the room, both looking very worried.

"What are you doing home early?" She asked.

Cora pulled out her phone. "Lennie called and said it was important," she revealed. "Now, Rumple is going to take her out for lunch and we're going to talk."

Rumple then headed down the corridor in search of his granddaughter.

"But I just finished making lunch for us," Emma said, motioning to the stove.

"Then you and I shall enjoy that while they're out," Cora said as Rumple and Lennie made their way into the room.

Emma turned to her daughter. "Why did you call your grandma?"

Lennie walked over to her mother and hugged her. "You're sad and you won't walk to me. I thought you might talk to Grandma."

"You're a sweetheart," Emma said as she pulled her daughter to her. She kissed her forehead before stepping back. "Enjoy your lunch with Grandpa."

Lennie grinned before heading over to Rumple.

"Let me know when it's safe to come back," Rumple said to his girlfriend. Cora simply nodded and smiled.

Once the two had left, Cora turned back to her blonde daughter. "Sit."

At the instruction, Emma sat immediately. She wasn't sure if Cora had actually magically commanded her to sit or not but she daren't ask. Cora then set about dishing up their meal, not berating the blonde for the lack of vegetables for once meaning she meant business.

A steaming bowl of mac and cheese was placed in front of her along with a spoon and Cora sat beside her. Emma waited to eat, expecting her mother to ask her what was going on, but the question never came. Cora simply started eating.

Very confused, Emma followed suit. She picked up her spoon and dug in.

All throughout the meal, Emma kept glancing over to Cora, expecting her to say something, but it looked like she was never going to ask. It then dawned on Emma what was going on. Cora wasn't planning on asking her anything, she was waiting for Emma to bring up the topic, but Emma didn't walk to talk until she'd finished eating because she'd lose her appetite and she was hungry.

So, the two continued to eat in silence until they were finished. Emma stood up and put their sticky dishes in for soak in the sink before going through the motions of making tea.

Almost ten minutes later, she sat back down at the table and handed Cora her tea before taking a sip of her own. With a sigh, she realised that it was time to tell her what was going on.

"I think Regina and I are over," she admitted quietly, "and I don't know what to do."

Cora finally turned to the blonde. Her eyebrows were raised and her jaw dropped in shock. Lennie hadn't said what was going on, just that she thought her mother needed her. Cora could hear the panic in Lennie's voice and she told Rumple they had to leave immediately.

"Oh Em," Cora murmured softly. She pulled Emma's hands away from her teacup and took hold of them. She gently started thumbing the skin smoothly knowing that it calmed the blonde down. "What happened?"

Emma blinked slowly, trying to keep the tears away but it was to no avail as they started flowing down her face. She didn't even bother trying to stop them.

"I have wish magic," Emma said. "I don't know if Rumple told you?" She looked at Cora who nodded.

"He mentioned it," she replied.

Emma nodded, almost absentmindedly. "Well before we brought magic back, I wished I'd impregnated Regina when we slept together the first time after her memories were back." She didn't bother beating about the bush as that wasn't Cora's style.

"There wasn't magic here then?" Cora's statement inflected at the end, turning it into a hesitant question.

"I know, but it worked," Emma revealed. She leant underneath the table and picked up the pregnancy test that she'd somehow almost forgotten about. She placed it in front of her mother. "She's pregnant."

Cora gasped. "What?" Slowly, she let go of Emma's hand and hesitantly picked up the device.

"The two lines mean positive," Emma said, knowing that Cora would be unfamiliar with the device.

"Regina can't get pregnant," Cora whispered. "I should know. She took the potion to spite me."

"I know," Emma confirmed. She looked at the test in Cora's hands and felt her heart break a little more. "But clearly my wish came true." She swallowed. "Regina is furious and blames me for it all." She tears started to flow more rapidly again. "She said Henry was enough for her and that she didn't want another child. She included Elena in that too because I "clearly wished she was impregnating me." Her words. She hates me."

Emma flopped onto the table, leaning on her arms. Her entire body shook with the power of her sobs.

Cora's heart broke at the sight. She dropped the test and wrapped her arms around the blonde. "She doesn't hate you," she reassured her. "You know what Regina's like. She's just confused and full of emotions. She doesn't know where to put them so she's throwing everything at you."

Emma mumbled something in reply, but Cora couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Say that again, dear?"

The blonde sighed as she sat back, her eyes were puffy and red. Cora conjured a tissue and started wiping away the blonde's tears before passing her a clean tissue to blow her nose.

Once done, Emma tried to take a few deep breaths to stop the tears, but she was finding it difficult.

"She shut down the possibility when we spoke about it this morning," Emma repeated. "When I went to join her for breakfast, Lennie said she'd gone. When we came back from the park, she was at the table. I'm not sure Lennie saw her because she was desperate for the toilet. By the time she came back, she'd gone. I know so much has happened in two weeks, but this is real. She really is pregnant. The child is as much mine as it is hers."

"And you want to keep it," Cora predicted.

She knew how much Emma loved being a mother. She was in her element when she was with Elena. Even when they spoke about Henry in the past, Cora could see how much Emma loved and adored her son. The fact that he was currently stuck in a curse was tearing her apart even if she wasn't showing it.

Slow, Emma nodded. "I know the timing is shitty. Henry needs us but I know he wouldn't want us to put our lives on hold too. I love my son, and he knows that. I love Regina and I want to be with her, but how can we be together if she doesn't even want Lennie in her life?"

"She does," Cora assured her. "Trust me, Emma. Regina adores your daughter. I've been around the two of them when you've been at work. Every time Lennie refers to her as her mother, Regina's eyes light up with a happiness I thought I'd never see." She then picked up her tea and drank the rest of it in three sips. "Now, you're going to clean the kitchen and then head to the store and pick up the shopping. I'm going to go to Roni's and talk to Regina. I got her into this mess so it's for me to sort this out."

"Mom–"

"Clean," Cora said cutting off the blonde. She leant forward and kissed her forehead. "I'll be home soon."

And with that, Emma watched on as Cora flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of dark purple.

When the smoke cleared, Cora found herself on the backsteps of Roni's that led to Regina's, or now Zelena's, apartment. Reaching up, she knocked on the door before stepping back, waiting for the door to be opened.

When it seemed that the door wasn't going to be answered any time soon, she knocked again, this time slightly louder. Another three minutes passed and Cora started to get a little worried. She waved her hand over the clock and heard the mechanisms click before she stepped in.

"Regina!" She called as she stepped over the threshold.

She heard the distinct sound of sobbing coming from down the hall. Following the sound, it didn't take long for Cora to find Regina lying in her bed, sobbing into a pillow.

"Oh Regina, my darling daughter," Cora cooed softly as she crossed the room. She perched on the bed and Regina shifted until she was lying in her mother's lap, allowing her to start running her fingers through her head.

She could only remember this happening once before. She'd lost something precious and had requested her mother's presence. Confused, Cora had immediately rushed to her daughter's side, but the Queen didn't speak the entire time. She just requested to be held like a normal mother and child. Even without her heart, Cora had been able to see how distraught her daughter was and granted her wish. After that night, Regina hadn't come to her for comforting again.

"I've ruined everything," Regina sobbed into Cora's lap. "It's all over."

"No, it isn't," Cora said softly as she continued her movement.

"What?"

Regina slowly sat up and Cora's hear broke even more at the black running down Regina's face from her mascara.

"I know what happened," Cora revealed. "And I just left an Emma looking just as dishevelled as you, but without the mascara streaks." She then cupped Regina's face and thumbed away the black as well as she could.

"She hasn't been answering any of my calls," Regina said. "I realised what an utter fool I'd been as soon as I left but she won't pick up."

Cora smiled softly, confusing her daughter. "Lennie stole Emma's phone to call me. I don't believe she gave it back."

Regina was silent as she realised that Emma hadn't actually been ignoring her calls, just oblivious to them. She sighed. "She still won't want to talk to me. I don't blame her after what I said. I was just so confused and overwhelmed by it the possibility of it all, let alone the reality."

"What happened when you came here earlier?" Cora asked quietly. She looked over her shoulder. "Where are Zelena and Margot?"

"Downstairs working," Regina replied. She took a deep breath. "I saw that Emma had made a to do list for what we need to do about breaking the curse and at the bottom was to tell me about a possible pregnancy. I confronted her with it this morning when I saw it and she explained everything, but I freaked out and dropped the topic immediately. As soon as I left the room, my head felt like it was going to combust, so I made Lennie's breakfast and then told her that I needed to see Zee and left."

Regina's story then unravelled. As soon as she was outside the apartment, she flicked her wrist and transported herself to her old apartment, directly into her bedroom. She left the room and headed towards Zelena's bedroom door and prayed that her sister was awake already.

Knocking on the door, she called out to her sister. "Zee, you awake? I need to talk to you!"

A barely distinguishable noise came through the door and Regina took that as confirmation that she was awake. Opening the door, she was greeted to Zelena lying on her back in bed, yawning loudly.

"Whazzup?" She asked sleepily, reaching up to rub her eyes.

Regina crossed the room and slipped into the bed beside her. She pulled the duvet up to her chin as if to add a layer of protection.

"What do you know about wish magic?"

Zelena's brow furrowed. "Not a lot really," she replied. "Robyn knows more than me because of Alice but we can't really ask her at the moment. Why do you ask?"

"Emma has it, it turns out," Regina revealed.

"Oh, right? What's the issue with that?"

Regina looked forwards and let her eyes lose focus before blinking, biding her time. "Em made a wish before magic came back and we don't know if it's come true."

"I'm not following," Zelena said.

Regina had to hand it to her, she was barely awake so the fact that she was able to string more than two words together was rather impressive. Then again, Regina knew that she wasn't making much sense either which wasn't helping things.

"Wish magic is just like ours," Zelena continued as she tried to wrap her head around it. She sat up in the bed, glad that she actually kept her pyjamas on the night before with her unexpected visitor. "The results are immediate. Surely, you'd already know if Emma's wish had come true, regardless if it was before or after magic came back?"

Regina swallowed and nodded. "Yeah for pretty much everything but this one takes a bit of time to develop."

Zelena sighed. "Gina, it's barely nine in the morning and you know I don't do mornings. Stop speaking in riddles and just tell me."

"Emma wished she was impregnating me the first time we fucked after I got my memories back and now I'm terrified that I'm pregnant!" Regina snapped. "Is that clear enough for you?"

No matter the occasion, the witch had a comeback but the first time in her life, she was rendered speechless. Of all the possibilities that Regina could have been over to talk about, the possible pregnancy was definitely nowhere near her lists.

"You can find out," Zelena murmured softly.

Regina shook her head. "It's impossible. Even without the magic. I can't have kids. I cursed myself to get at mother. You know this."

Zelena reached out to take hold of Regina's hand. "But this is Emma's magic. She's got so much power in her little finger it's ridiculous. Plus, she's your True Love, she could have healed you and you not know. Hell, I restarted Hades' heart with our kiss." The redhead's face twisted as she though back to the God of the afterlife. She tried not to think about him ever after what he did. "I think there's something else that's freaking you out. Talk to me, sis."

The brunette remained silent as she thought about Zelena's words.

"I'm just scared," she murmured softly. "I never carried to term in the past and when I did, it was a still born."

Zelena's brows furrowed. "What?"

Regina smiled sadly. "When I was married to Leopold, Snow's father, I fell pregnant four times," she revealed, sharing a story she had never uttered before. "I miscarried three. One at 11 weeks, the second at 14 and the last one at 18 weeks. The fourth baby was born but he suffocated during birth. I didn't want to be put through it again, but it was the King who then deemed me unworthy. I'd killed his son as far as he was concerned." Tears slipped down her face as she told her story.

"Oh, Gina." Zelena wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. "I wish I'd know."

"No one knows," Regina whispered. "Snow only knows about the last one because I actually showed. Even at 18 weeks I wasn't showing." She swallowed. "If I am _pregnant_," she whispered the word, "it's just going to go like those. Emma's going to be devastated."

"There's only one way to find out," Zelena said softly. She flicked her wrist and a box appeared in her hand.

Regina stared the box, taking it in before snatching it out of her hand and going to the bathroom. Five minutes later, she returned to Zelena's room with tears streaming down her face.

"It was positive," Regina said to Cora as she continued her story. "I left Zee's and went home to talk to Emma. I was cautious how she was going to react when I got back but the apartment was empty. Em had left a note saying she and Lennie had gone to the park. I didn't have to wait long until they came back. Lennie ran down the corridor immediately, I don't think she actually saw me and then all my fears came running back. I showed Emma the test and she was so excited. I freaked out again and ended up screaming at her. She told me to get out and I came here. Fortunately, Zee had to go to work so I could just curl up and cry. I called her so many times. I didn't want to go over while she was angry and with Lennie there. It's not fair to either of them. God, what am I meant to do?"

Cora let out a slow breath. "The two of you need to talk honestly and openly. At the end of the day, Gina, you are pregnant, but this is so different to what it was like with the King. We have so many charms and spells that will keep you and the baby safe."

"But the curse–"

"Will still get broken, I promise," Cora assured her. "Now, I'm going to join Lennie and Rumple and you're going to head over to Emma's. She should be back from shopping anytime and you're going to talk this all through."

Just like she had with Emma, Cora stepped away from her daughter and flicked her wrist disappearing in a cloud of purple, leaving a very confused daughter behind.

_A/N: Just a heads up that there won't be a chapter on Thursday as usual as I'm in London. I'll upload on Sunday as usual. As always, I hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I do! Love, Emss x_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: Another trigger for miscarriages in a little more detail this time. Sorry in advance._

Regina had never felt her heart beating to so hard in her chest. She could almost feel it in her throat as she stood outside the door to the apartment that she was starting to call home.

After Cora had left, she had stayed rooted on her bed for another ten minutes as she tried to centre herself and pluck up the courage to move. It had taken several deep breaths before she'd even stepped off the bed. She walked over to her vanity and saw that her eyes were still a little black and puffy. She pulled out a makeup wipe to get rid of the excess and clear up the streaks. There was no point reapplying as she knew more tears were coming.

Taking a step back, she shut her eyes and breathed deeply, gathering as much nerve as she possible could muster. Before she lost her courage, she flicked her wrist to transport herself outside of Emma's apartment. She knew could have done it so she would arrive inside, but she needed to give Emma the option to say no. Even when she knew she didn't want her to.

Slowly, she reached up and knocked thrice on the door. There was a bang and a cuss heard before the door was yanked open to reveal a very grumpy blonde. As soon as she saw Regina, her mood turned to shock and then anger.

"What do you want?" Emma hissed.

"I want to talk to my girlfriend," Regina replied calmly before swallowing. "The other mother of my children."

Hearing the plural form, Emma's brows furrowed in confusion before they grew to anger once more. "Remembered you have more than one now?"

Regina flinched. "I deserve that, but please, Em, I want to talk. There are things you need to know."

Hesitantly, Emma stepped back from the door and motioned for Regina to enter. The two made their way over to the table which was covered in grocery bags.

"Cora made me go shopping," Emma explained. "I may have gone a little overboard on the chocolate."

Regina reached into the first bag and pulled out at least four blocks of chocolate. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Emma was an eater when she was upset.

"I won't judge if I can share," Regina murmured, hoping it would make the blonde react. Whether it was with shock or a quiet laugh, she didn't mind. When the corner of the blonde's thin, pale lips twitched, Regina took it as a victory.

"Let me just unpack everything and then we can talk," Emma said.

"Allow me," Regina offered.

She waved her hand over the shopping and the items started rising out of bags before floating towards the cupboards in which they belonged. As the food travelled across the room, Emma noticed a fair few of the treats Regina usually denied her due to their high fat or sugar content make their way towards Emma's bedroom. With everything going on, Regina didn't have the heart to comment on it. She could see Emma nervously worrying her lip between her teeth.

Once everything had been unpacked, Emma busied herself with making tea, non-caffeinated for Regina now, before placing on the table. The two took a seat; it was time to discuss everything.

Emma opened her mouth to start but couldn't find the words to say.

Instead, Regina slowly reached out to take hold of the blonde's hand, hoping she wouldn't pull away. When she didn't, Regina felt her confidence grow.

"First things first, I am so sorry about what I said about Lennie," she began, her voice thick with nerves. "She's the most perfect daughter and I have you to thank for that. I don't think you wished for me to get you pregnant. I have no idea how she was conceived but I thank my lucky stars that she was. I absolutely adore her just like Henry. They're both my children, _our_ children." She swallowed nervously before pulling the blonde's hand with hers to press against her flat stomach. "Just like this one is." She looked up to see a small smile on Emma's lips, as if she didn't want to get ahead of herself. "I just have bad experiences with pregnancies."

Emma's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Regina bit her lip nervously as she stared at the table, unable to make eye contact with the blonde while she was revealing her biggest secret.

"You know I took the potion so I couldn't have children to spite my mother," she began. She saw the shadow of Emma's nod before continuing. "Well, by then, I'd had my fair share of miscarriages." She heard Emma's intake of breath, but she battled through. "I had three, each pregnancy lasting a little bit longer than the previous. Despite the fact I was in a loveless marriage and I hated my stepdaughter, I was so excited at the prospect of becoming a mother to my own child. Even if they were half Leopold too." She swallowed thickly and shivered at the memory.

Sensing she needed support, Emma moved their hands that were still resting on Regina's stomach and laced their fingers together. She squeezed them lightly to prove to the brunette that she was still there. Yes, she was angry with her, but she knew she needed to hear her out.

At the touch, Regina finally looked up and saw the blonde offering her an encouraging smile. Unable to help it, Regina smiled back before she went back to her story.

"I lost the first one at 11 weeks," she continued. "I was devastated but the doctors told me that it was natural. It was known for Queens to lose the first, whatever that meant. The second I lost at 14 weeks. That one was the most physically painful. I thought I was cursed. Again, the doctors didn't seem to be that bothered but my heart broke with each one. The third one I lost at 18 weeks. I was well into the second trimester and I thought it was going to stick but then I woke up in the middle of the night covered in blood and I knew I'd lost them." She stopped her story as she felt the tears coming. The biggest of the tales about to begin.

Emma reached out and wiped away a tear that had already escaped before she could catch it.

"You don't have to tell me anymore if you don't want to," Emma murmured softly as she cupped her cheek.

Regina shook her head. "I need you to know it all," she insisted. "There's one more."

"But you said you only had three?" Emma asked, a little confused.

"I did," the brunette affirmed, her voice barely above a whisper. "The last one I carried to term. The entire castle was on high alert throughout the entire pregnancy. Leo had everyone waiting on me hand and foot, it was rather frustrating, but worked out well when I went into labour. He even stood outside the room while I gave birth which was almost unheard of." Her eyes then filled with tears. "But the cord got wrapped around his neck and the doctors didn't act quick enough. He was announced dead five minutes later." She broke down as she relieved the moment again of the doctor announcing the time of death. "I begged them to let me hold him, which they did, and I cried over my baby. My son. He was so small and the most precious thing I'd ever held. My heart was so full of love as I looked at him and everything broke inside me that he was dead. They told Leo he had a son, but he'd died. He blamed me. After that he shunted me, I was treated worse than the peasants. He had nothing to do with me and when he did, it was just the back of his hand." Her eyes darkened. "That's when I started my plan to kill him."

"Oh honey," Emma said softly as she pulled the brunette to her, allowing her to sob into her neck. "I'm so sorry."

"I wanted to name the baby Henry, but Leopold wouldn't let me," Regina mumbled against her skin. "He was named Leopold the fourth but to me he was always Henry. That's partially why I named Henry that too. He was the son I always wanted." She swallowed nervously and she pulled back to look the blonde in the eye. "I'm not angry that you got me pregnant, I'm scared that I'll fail you like I failed Leopold. I couldn't do that to you when you don't deserve it. You were so happy and excited, and I knew I was going to be the one to take that away from you."

Emma's heart broke at the words. She'd already been crying silently, but now she let out a sob. "You could never fail me," she said honestly. "There is literally nothing you could do that would make me feel that way. I get why you're scared. I was too when I found out about Lennie, but you're not alone." She cupped her face gently wiping away stray tears with her thumbs. "I won't leave your side. I know there's so much going on, but we will make sure that this baby is protected and safe. If need be, I can ways wish the pregnancy to jump ahead."

Regina let out a watery chuckle. "Perhaps not. I want to experience this properly and if I don't succeed–"

"Hey," Emma said softly, cutting off whatever Regina was about to say. "You will. _We_ will. We'll do everything we can."

"I'm so sorry I said everything earlier," Regina said instead, needing the blonde to hear the words.

"It hurt. I'm not going to lie." Emma replied. "But I'm sorry too. I don't want to lose you, Ginny. I know we've only been official for two weeks and a hell of a lot has happened in that time and things are not about to get any easier, but we can face anything together. Before long, we'll have our family back together and a new baby to spoil. One we can finally raise together."

"I love you," Regina almost blurted, needing to say the words. She pulled her hands free of the blonde's to cup her face gently and leant forward, sealing their lips together. She could taste their tears mingling together, but it didn't matter.

"I love you too," Emma replied, a quiet chuckle in her voice at Regina's moment on irrationality. "I always will." She kissed her once more before smiling. "Now, shall we dig in to one of my many chocolate bars and snuggle on the couch watching FRIENDS?"

"That sounds perfect," Regina agreed. "Let me just text Mother to keep Lennie a bit longer." Once she shot off the text, a previous thought occurred to her and she frowned. "Where's your phone by the way? I called you earlier, but you never answered."

Perplexed, Emma checked her pockets but came up empty before she remembered. "I gave it to Lennie and the cheeky monkey snuck off with it to call Cora." She shook her head. "It'll probably be in her room. You put the TV on and I'll go get it."

Emma then headed down the corridor to Lennie's room and saw her phone lying in the centre. As she picked it up, she tapped the home button and saw many missed calls from Regina and a text from Zelena hoping everything was going okay. She shot a quick message back to the witch saying everything was getting there before picking up one of the chocolate bars that were stacked on her desk and heading back to the living room.

"Fifteen missed calls?" Emma asked as she entered, holding up her phone to the brunette, who was now flicking through episodes to watch on Netflix. Her eyebrow raised.

Regina blushed. "I was upset and scared. Then I started to panic when you didn't answer. It would have been more if Mother hadn't arrived." She selected the first episode of season seven, ready to watch Rachel steal Monica's thunder.

Emma chuckled. "I was safe. I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Regina insisted. She paused the show before the opening credits started and looked back to the blonde. "You haven't done anything to be sorry about. You didn't know your wish would work and now I've calmed down, the excitement is building. I'm just precautious."

"I get that," Emma said softly. She then reached out and pressed her palm onto Regina's tummy. _I wish the pregnancy all goes smoothly_, she thought. She felt something under her hand ripple and it glowed the iridescent yellow of the protection charm. "We're going to be fine."

Regina watched the spell and knew what she'd done. "We're having a baby?"

Emma grinned. "We're having a baby." She pulled Regina towards her and kissed her soundly.

oOoOo

The two spent the rest of the afternoon snacking on chocolate and watching FRIENDS, cuddled in each other's arms. It was the first time, they realised, that they'd spent time like this just the two of them ever. Back in Storybrooke, they'd had the rare movie night as a family, but Henry had always been there too. Over the past two weeks, Lennie had always been around them when they weren't at work. It was only for a few hours, but they cherished the time together.

When Cora and Rumple arrived with Lennie before dinner, Regina called their daughter over and pulled her onto the sofa to sit between her mothers. Both wrapped their arms around her and hugged her tight. Regina kept pressing soft kisses on her head.

Despite being extremely confused at the sudden affection from her mothers, Lennie took it in her stride and snuggled in. She asked many questions about what was going on in the programme after never watching FRIENDS before with Emma and Regina answering while they could.

Cora and Rumple stayed in the kitchen and cooked for the others. They made a simple bolognaise, with Rumple on garlic bread duty, but it was delicious.

Wanting to allow Emma and Regina more time together, Cora offered to settle Lennie in bed. The seven-year-old was a little bit miffed as she'd gotten used to her mothers doing it. However, with a large yawn, Lennie realised she couldn't put it off and her grandmother tucking her in was better than no one.

When Emma and Regina retired for the evening, they made gentle love with Emma caressing the brunette as tenderly as she could. She spent time just kissing along her flat stomach.

"You're going to be so beautiful when you're showing," she murmured softly against the skin. "Though that'll be a feat when you're already breathtakingly beautiful."

Regina blushed before gasping as Emma's head went further south and Regina lost the ability to speak apart from chanting Emma's name.

oOoOo

The next morning, the two headed into the kitchen, expecting to be greeted by Cora and Rumple, and perhaps Lennie if she was awake. What they weren't expecting was to see Zelena and Ivy sitting around the kitchen table. In the centre were two boxes from the local bakery containing croissants and a sweet treat that Emma was desperately craving.

"Bear claws!" She cheered excitedly, letting her dignity fly out the window as she rushed across the room. She picked one up in each hand and started taking bites from each one.

"And Lennie is the child in this family?" Regina said with a roll of her eyes. "Be lucky I love you otherwise that behaviour would get you in trouble."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Are you going to punish me, babe?"

A cough was heard and Regina span on her heel to see her parents sitting on the sofa, each eating a croissant, clearly having left all the bear claws for the blonde. Cora was trying not to laugh but the look of discomfort was clear on Rumple's face. Clearly, he had been then one to cough.

Zelena cackled at the embarrassment on both of her sisters' faces whereas Ivy just shrunk in her chair feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Where's Len?" Regina asked, immediately changing the subject.

"I don't think she's awake yet," Cora replied. She glanced at her watch to check the time, looking a little working when she realised that it was coming up to nine o'clock. It was almost unheard of for Lennie to still be asleep.

"I'll go wake her," Regina said, "as this one is clearly busy."

Emma looked up from eating her bear claw, after having put one of them down with Regina's disapproval. "What?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You carry on, dear."

However, when Emma saw Regina heading towards their daughter's room, she decided to go with her. Finishing the last bite of her pasty, she dusted her hands onto the plate before heading down the corridor just as Regina tiptoed into the room.

"Lennie, honey, it's time to get up," Regina said softly.

She and Emma crossed the room, ready to open the curtains and pull down the duvet, but the sight that met them was not expected. Lennie had dark shadows under her eyes and her eyes were red and blotchy, a clear sign that she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before.

The other surprise was that the seven-year-old was very much awake.

"Go away!" She cried, pulling her duvet over her head to block out the light that Emma had brought in by opening the curtains.

Emma and Regina shared a worried glance, trying to figure out the best way to handle their daughter's meltdown.

"Len, what's wrong?" Emma asked gently as she perched on the side of her bed.

"Like you care!" Came the mumble from underneath the duvet.

Another scared glanced was shared between the mothers as Regina knelt beside the bed.

"Of course we care," she murmured softly. "Now, come out so we can talk about this."

Her instruction was firm but her voice still gentle so that it didn't come across as she was demanding her daughter.

Hesitantly, the duvet began to slowly shift down and a halo of blonde hair appeared before Lennie's chocolate brown eyes finally made an appearance above the fabric.

"What's going on?" Regina asked softly. She reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear, but Lennie move away from the contact.

Panic flushed through her body, thinking that Lennie had somehow found out what she'd said about her the day before, despite not meaning it. However, as Emma went to do the same, clearly on the same page as the brunette, Lennie shrunk back again.

"Len?"

Lennie swallowed as a tear formed. "You don't want me anymore," she cried as tears started rolling down her face. "You're having a new baby that will have both of you. You won't want me anymore."

Regina and Emma gasped and glanced at each other in panic. The same question on the tip of their tongue. How did Lennie know?

"What new baby?" Regina asked, wanting to know what Lennie knew before they admitted anything.

"The horrible woman told me in my dream," she sniffled, trying to hold back the tears but it was to no avail. "She came _back_." Her voice broke on the last word. "You promised I'd be safe!"

Emma felt her insides flare with anger. She had no idea how Gothel had managed to get into Lennie's dreams again. Regina had cast the protection spell on her, but perhaps it didn't last more than a few days.

What baffled her most was how did Gothel know? She had taunted Rumple with the idea of wanting his three grandchildren. At first, she'd presumed that she had been including Sophia in that. While not being his granddaughter directly, being a great-granddaughter was linked to it.

Looking up at Regina, Emma saw her worry reflected on her beautiful face.

"Lennie," Regina said softly. "Your mother and I love you so much. _If_ we have another child," she sideways glanced to Emma, hoping she would catch her drift, "they won't replace you at all, my darling. Yes, they'll have both of us from the beginning, but you have us both now. I love you with all my heart. I hope you know that."

Lennie swallowed and nodded slowly. "I love you too, Momma."

Regina smiled softly and when she went to gently stroke Lennie's cheek, this time she didn't retract.

"When did she come into your dreams?" Emma asked.

Lennie frowned as she thought about it. "Every time I shut my eyes after I woke up the first time. Grandma tucked me in and I fell asleep but then I woke up a bit later and when I tried to sleep again, she flashed up and started telling me about a new baby, that you two didn't love me and that she would be my new mom."

The sadness in Lennie's voice made both Emma and Regina's hearts break. They never wanted to ever hear their child full of so much sorrow.

"We'll figure it out, sweetheart," Regina said. "We promise we'll make her stop coming into your dreams."

Lennie swallowed again before pushing down the duvet. "Can I have some breakfast?"

Emma chuckled slightly. Despite the heavy conversation, Lennie was so much her daughter sometimes when she could only think about food.

"Sure," she replied. "Auntie Zee and Ivy brought some pastries."

Lennie's eyes lit up with excitement. She kicked the duvet off her feet and rushed out of the room, leaving her mothers behind.

Regina bit her lip as she reached out to take Emma's had. "We'll have to tell her about the pregnancy at some point."

Emma rested her hand gently against Regina's flat tummy. "We have time yet." She pressed a soft kiss to Regina's lips, feeling the brunette melt into her touch. "Let's concentrate on blocking her dreams first."

"Let's ask Rumple," Regina decided. "He'll know."

The two headed back into the living room and saw that Lennie was already face deep in a croissant and talking to her auntie who was chuckling at whatever she was talking about. Clearly Gothel wasn't trying to turn her against her aunt, only her mothers.

They headed over to Cora and Rumple and told them about Lennie's dream invasion. Both gaped at the revelation.

"I'm going to kill her," Cora seethed.

"Not if I get there first," Regina concurred. "I cast the dream protection charm on her and it was working. I don't understand how she got in last night."

Rumple contemplated it for a moment, trying to think of a solution. "We can put an enchanted dreamcatcher in her room," he said after a few moments of inner deliberation. "We can charm it so that it will literally catch any of the dreams that cause her any terror. From the dark circles under her eyes, the dreams last night clearly affected her badly."

The four turned to Lennie and frowned. Someone so young shouldn't be that exhausted.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was breakfasted and was sitting on the sofa. Lennie was sitting beside her auntie with Ivy on the other side of the redhead with the other couples sharing a sofa each.

"Is there an update on Victoria?" Regina asked Rumple, knowing he'd been trying to come up with a solution over the past week.

Sadly, he shook his head. "I just can't seem to find an angle that would persuade her to join our side. She's invested so much of her life in Jacinda, she won't want to throw it away. Sorry," he added when he saw Ivy flinch.

"It's okay," she replied.

"At this rate, we should just find someone to flirt her over to our side," Zelena suggested in mirth. "Surely that's the only option left."

Despite saying it in jest, everyone's eyes snapped to her, including Lennie's.

"That could work," Ivy said. "She is pretty lonely and there's one woman I think would be perfect for the job. Mother is adamant that she hates her, but she has just a little too much hatred to not be covering up for something else. If you catch my drift."

Emma smirked, realising where Ivy was going. It was a feeling she and Regina had shared in the past before realising the tension was sexual.

"Who?" Zelena asked.

Ivy smirked. "Well you, of course."


	31. Chapter 31

Zelena's jaw dropped at the revelation. "You have to be kidding me?!"

Ivy shook her head. "Not in the slightest, dear Wicked Witch." She then glanced over to Regina. "You've seen how Mother and Zelena would get up close and personal in their fights about Marcus. Perhaps they were using him as a buffer. Like you and Emma used to do with Henry."

"I think that's the biggest load of bollocks I think I've ever heard," Zelena scoffed.

"Language!" Emma hissed, nodding to Lennie.

"What are bollocks?" Lennie asked and Emma glared at her sister.

"Nothing, honey," Regina said quickly.

Zelena simply sighed, ignoring the exchanged between Lennie and her mothers. "I can't believe this. Mother, tell them!"

Cora shuffled in her seat and glanced at Rumple who nodded.

"We agree with Ivy," she murmured as she looked back to her oldest daughter.

"What?" Zelena cried. "Pack it in, the lot of you. There is no sexual tension between me and Victoria."

Ivy smirked. "As Victoria maybe not, but as Rapunzel, perhaps."

Rumple sighed, knowing that someone needed to calm the situation down. "It's worth a try, Zee, and if anyone can do this, it's you."

The witch sighed dramatically. "How am I meant to even approach it?"

"Leave that to me," Ivy said. "Just be working at Roni's tomorrow evening and I'll make sure she's there."

As it seemed it was decided, Zelena picked up her cushion and groaned into it. Lennie stroked her arm in an attempt to be supportive, but it wasn't really working.

"On another note," Ivy said, "Henry and I are going out for coffee and a playdate with Sophia this afternoon."

Emma all but squealed. "That's exciting. How?"

Ivy grinned. "I did what you suggested and lingered when I dropped Soph off yesterday. J wasn't there and we got chatting. Sophia said she enjoyed being with both of us and _Henry_ suggested that we go out." Her smile faulted. "I miss my Henry though. I want my fiancé back."

"We'll get there, don't worry," Regina assured her.

Rumple then announced that he needed to get to work. He'd been taking time off so that he could spend time with Cora and his family but now he was needed back in the office more. Cora kissed her partner goodbye and watching him go.

Ivy then bid her goodbyes too as she had to go into work. She pulled a face but promised to speak to her mother about going to Roni's the next day. Zelena sighed dramatically before looking at her sisters.

"One of you two had better be working with me."

"Oh, I'll willingly go," Emma said with a laugh. "I can't wait to watch that."

Therefore, it was quickly decided that Emma would be joining Zelena at the pub and when the time came to it, the next evening, Emma still wasn't regretting it. She loved watching Victoria getting all flustered because the crazy bitch deserved to be messed with. The only aspect that she didn't like was leaving Regina and Lennie back home. The three of them had been snuggled together watching a movie with Cora for most of the afternoon. It had been bliss.

Emma had no idea when Victoria was due, she just knew that she would be turning up that evening at some point. Every time the door opened, Zelena glanced over in panic, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Whenever it was a blonde head, she would freeze up. It was getting pathetic.

"Will you calm down!" Emma berated her sister when there was gap in customers. It was a Wednesday night after all. It wasn't going to be packed. "You're stressing me out."

"_I'm_ stressing _you_ out?" Zelena snarked. "You're not the one who's got to woo the enemy, apparently."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't think of it as wooing. Think of it as a conversation. You'll be fine."

The redhead glared at the blonde before heading into the back to take a five-minute break to calm down.

However, as soon as the door shut behind her, the woman they'd been waiting for walked through the door. Yet this time, she was unrecognisable.

Gone was the power suit, but this time replaced with a sleek black dress that tied at the centre with a deep V in the centre leading to the knot. She was dressed to impress but Emma couldn't help but wonder who? Surely it wasn't Zelena?

"Ugh, it's you," Victoria greeted the blonde when she got to the bar. "I was hoping someone else would be working tonight."

Emma rolled her eyes. "A pleasure as always, Vicky." She loved when the woman cringed at the clearly hated nickname. "Martini?"

Victoria looked almost impressed that Emma remembered her go to drink but she sighed to try to show that she wasn't fazed by it. "Please."

"Coming right up!"

Emma then set to making the cocktail, shaking the ingredients together before adding a couple of olives into the glass. However, just before she handed it over, she added a small drop of a truth potion. Cora had suggested it would make the evening go a fraction more smoothly, but this potion was of her own inventions. While it got the target to tell the truth, they wouldn't realise that they were revealing their secrets and either stop speaking or just leave. It was rather genius if Cora did say so herself. Although Emma had to agree with it.

She passed over the drink and Victoria took a sip out of it immediately. Unable to help it, she sighed at the taste. Emma really was a dab hand at cocktails.

"Where's your company?" Emma asked out of curiosity. Not just because she wanted to test if the potion worked, but because she wanted to know what Ivy had said to her mother to persuade her out.

"Ivy told me she'd set me up on a blind date," Victoria revealed as she pulled a face. "She should be more worried about her dating life. Trying to win back Henry." She scoffed.

"You don't think they're good together?"

Victoria eyed the blonde for a moment. "They were too young when everything happened. Ivy needs to find herself before she settles. Jacinda is ready for that."

"What about Sophia?" Emma asked, unable to keep it in. "Surely, she should be able to see her mother?"

"She does and that will gradually increase when I feel like Ivy is ready," she answered evenly.

"So, all of this is for Ivy's sake?" Emma was trying to wrap her head around it all but was struggling.

"Precisely."

Emma raised her eyebrow, not knowing what else to say. Fortunately, another round of customers came and she hoped that Zelena would reappear at some point soon.

With the cluster of new customers, Emma was rushed off her feet. She managed to get them all served before any of them got annoyed. However, she was the one who was starting to get annoyed. Zelena had meant to have been on a five-minute break which was now turning into thirty.

It was then that she heard a familiar flirtatious laugh. However, this was usually followed by a much gravellier response of the dragon. This time it was followed by a lighter, slightly nervous response.

Looking over to the far side of the bar, Emma saw Victoria and Zelena standing at opposite sides of the bar, but the witch was leaning over to whisper something to the other blonde. Emma had absolutely no idea how that could have happened so quickly. Then again, Zelena could have been there for at least twenty minutes and Emma hadn't noticed due to actually working.

Although now, she couldn't be mad because Zelena was doing what she was supposed to be. Emma just had to pick up her slack at the bar. She could do that for the sake of the greater good, she supposed.

When an hour passed and Zelena had only made four drinks for others in amongst chatting to Victoria and Emma had made twenty, she was starting to get a bit pissed.

"I'm going for five!" Emma announced. She didn't wait for the redhead to respond before she headed into the back.

Pulling out her phone, she saw that it was getting on for half eleven. She wanted to call Regina but presumed she'd be asleep and didn't want to wake her up. Instead, she sent her a quick text knowing that she could sleep through the sound of her phone buzzing once.

_Operation wicked stepmother is working!_

It wasn't the most creative name she could think of. She was sure Henry would roll his eyes at it when he was finally awake, but it was the best she could do. It didn't surprise her that after her short break, Regina hadn't replied.

Instead, she headed back to the main room just as Zelena finished serving the last person in the queue. Emma went to go talk to her, but the redhead simply went back to Victoria.

Seeing the two acting so at ease with each other was completely baffling. Zelena seemed to be really enjoying herself despite apparently hating the other woman. Emma starting to think that her hesitation towards it all was the lie.

Using the quietness to her advantage, Emma went around the pub to collect glasses. On busier nights, they had Margot doing this instead to keep her busy but now, it was rather nice to be able to get away from behind the bar, and indirectly away from the heavy flirtation.

Sneakily, Emma waved her hand over the crate so that no matter how many glasses she piled in, it wouldn't get any heavier. It meant that she could collect them all in at once and if anyone wanted to mess with her, they would think she was ridiculously strong and would leave her alone. Well she hoped so anyway.

Once all the glasses had been collected, she then filled up the dishwasher and set it running before wiping down the counter for any beer spillage. Even when all of that was done, there weren't any customers wanting drinks. In fact, aside from Victoria standing at the bar, there were now only about five people in.

Emma glanced at her watch and saw that it was now just after midnight. With a stifled yawn, she walked over to the bell, which just so happened to be behind Zelena, and announce last call.

"What a shame, I've been having a really nice night," Emma heard Victoria mutter flirtatiously.

"It doesn't have to end," Zelena suggested, her voice thick with implications.

Emma faltered in her footsteps as she started to head to the bar seeing that someone wanted a last drink.

"You're on," Victoria replied, a smirk hinted in her voice.

Trying her best to act natural, Emma walked over to the patron and started pouring his drink as he never ordered anything else. It was simple, a pale ale. While she poured, she was able to glance over to the two in the corner. Both were sipping on their drinks, sharing flirtatious glances. Emma stared at Zelena, trying to work out her body language. She had seen her flirt many times before, usually with Maleficent, to know when she was actually interested in the other person.

Bafflingly, she was.

Zelena was absentmindedly twirling a finger around a loose strand of hair and her lips were pulled into a sultry smirk that the Mills sisters seemed to share. She was leaning over slightly, not hunched, but enough to show that she was interested.

A cough pulled her out of her distraction and Emma realised that the ale had settled enough to top and the customer was getting a little bored of waiting.

"Sorry, Toby," she muttered before finishing it. He held out his ten dollars, but Emma shook her head. "On the house."

Toby grinned and slipped his money away. "You're a good one, Emma." He then turned and headed back to his seat to finish his drink. It was only a half so it wouldn't take him long.

It didn't in the end. About ten minutes later, Toby came back and placed his empty glass on the bar and bid the blonde goodnight before leaving. While he had been finishing off, Emma went around and cashed up as if the place was empty as he was the only inhabitant aside from the women at the bar. The others had left once last call was announced.

Once he was gone, the bar was empty, aside from Victoria and Zelena. Finally, she had to break it up.

"Zee, I'm all done," Emma said as she headed over.

As if she'd been burnt, Zelena flew back and let go of her hair. It was as if she'd forgotten the blonde was there.

"Oh yeah, um…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"I'm gonna go," Emma said. "Feel free to continue." She winked before flicking her wrist, not wanting to see Zelena's reaction.

When the smoke cleared, Emma was greeted with her living room. The apartment was starting to feel like home, which was a nice feeling, but also made her feel a little uncomfortable. She realised she'd have to contact Chuck again soon to extend her staying there. She knew she'd most likely have to start paying for it eventually because she realised that they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. There was still so much to be done and the unknown to unravel.

With a sigh, she took off her jacket, placing it on the hook by the door, and headed to her bedroom. As she opened the door, she was met with a sight that she adored. There was a Regina shaped lump in just off the centre of the bed, but she was holding onto Emma's pillow as if the blonde was there. Clearly, she had wanted to feel Emma close with her being out.

Quickly, Emma pulled off her clothes before slipping into bed. Gently, she attempted to pull the pillow out of Regina's grasp, but she just held on tighter, murmuring, "noooo," in her sleep.

"Ginny, it's me," Emma whispered. "I'm home."

"Em?"

The blonde chuckled slightly. "Yes, honey."

Part of Emma thought Regina would have tried to stay awake to hear how everything had gone down between Zelena and Victoria, but Emma realised she could fill her in in the morning. Or when Zelena inevitably turned up the next morning, she could fill the brunette in herself.

Until then, she leant forward and kissed the brunette softly. Regina finally let go of the pillow and began reaching for the blonde. Emma wasn't sure if she was awake, but she was complaining. With her pillow now back in place, Emma pulled the brunette into her arms, sighing peacefully when she felt soft lips against her neck. Within seconds, she was asleep.

oOoOo

Despite Emma's assumption that Zelena would turn up at the apartment the next morning, ready to fill everyone in on what had happened the night before, she never showed. Emma filled in Cora and Regina about what had happened which really wasn't a lot as she hadn't heard hardly any of the conversation.

The three contacted Zelena to make sure that Victoria hadn't tricked the redhead and kidnapped her but Zelena had sent a selfie to reassure her family that she was safe in the apartment but was spending time with Victoria and Margot when she could.

It was a week later when Zelena finally graced everyone with her presence once more. She had taken the week off of work leading to Regina and Emma working extra to cover her shifts. Regina had tried to get Zelena's whereabouts out of Margot but even she had been rather tight-lipped regarding her mother.

"If Mom is choosing not to tell you what's going on, you have to accept that," Margot sighed. "I'm sorry, Auntie Roni, but I can't say anything else on the matter."

With that, Regina stopped asking her.

Emma was still frustrated that they couldn't wake Margot. She knew that if she was Robyn, she would be able to get the information out of her niece easily like she always had done in the past. It didn't matter that she was now in her early twenties and not the same eight-year-old she had been when she had left Wonderland. She was the same sneaky blonde that Emma would always adore. She missed her.

When Zelena swanned into the apartment the week later, the family dropped everything they were doing and stared at her. Her eyes will dazzling with something Emma hadn't seen in a very long time, if at all really. There was an excited aura surrounding her. It was truly a sight to behold.

However, before she could take any of that in, there was something of a higher priority that needed addressing.

"Just where the hell have you been the past week!" Emma snapped as she crossed the room from where she'd been helping Lennie with her work at the kitchen table.

Zelena, ever the confident, merely shrugged. "Hanging out."

Emma scoffed. "Hanging out?" She repeated. "That's all you've got to say for yourself? We've been going crazy, wondering what you were doing. We were scared."

The witch simply rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." She took her jacket off and hung it up before flopping onto the sofa. She glanced around. "Where's my niecie-poo? I've missed her."

Lennie looked up and grinned. She put down her pen and ran over to her auntie, hugging her tightly before sitting on her lap.

"You wouldn't miss me if you came over," Lennie said and Emma didn't think she'd ever been prouder of her daughter with her comment. It was very true after all.

Finally, Zelena frowned slightly. "I'm sorry honey, I've been busy."

"Doing what?" Cora asked.

"Probably Victoria," Emma snarked.

"Emma!" Regina warned.

The blonde didn't care as she stared at her sister. "Am I wrong?"

Zelena shrugged again. "Not entirely, but I have been busy getting information out of her while not make it look like I was only seducing her to get information out of her."

"What's seducing?" Lennie asked causing Regina to breath deeply. Her daughter was going to be getting a very foul mouth by the time she was eight if Zelena kept speaking without a filter around her.

"Never you mind," Regina said quickly before Emma said something different. She'd started to explain Zelena's language in terms a seven, almost eight, year old could understand but she definitely did not need to know about seduction or any form of it. "Back to work, honey, then you can have a break in an hour."

Lennie groaned and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fiiiiiiine," she whined, ever the drama queen which really could have come from any of her family members, including her grandfather who enjoyed his dramatic flourishes.

And with that, Lennie got up from Zelena's knee and headed back to the table. The adults remained quiet until she was immersed in her work. Just so she wouldn't be able to hear anything, Cora cast a sound mixer charm so that Lennie would be able to hear that her family were talking but not know what they were actually talking about.

Once the charm was cast, Emma turned to the witch.

"So?"

Zelena raised her eyebrow. "So what?"

Regina rolled her eyes as she sighed before she sat down beside her sister. "Stop being difficult. Tell us what happened, please?"

Cora waved her hand and produced a tray of tea, hoping that would persuade the redhead to spill the tea, as it were, on what happened. It seemed to work as Zelena picked up the mug and took a sip, humming contently at the taste. Cora was well versed in making each of her daughters a perfect tea as they all had it very differently.

Placing her teacup back on the table, Zelena leant back and crossed her leg. "She came into the pub on Wednesday ready for a blind date that Ivy had set her up on but it didn't take her long to realise that it was a lie and she was there to talk to me, she said she wasn't even that disappointed. I was completely baffled because Emma told me she was going slip her Mom's truthful potion."

Regina glanced to Emma with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"We thought it was the best way to start," Emma defended with a shrug. "If she was telling the truth, things would go a lot more smoothly, clearly it worked."

"I guess," the brunette murmured before sipping her own tea, allowing Zelena to continue.

"We got talking about everything that wasn't going on," Zelena said. "For half of it, it was talking about what Marcus was like when I knew him in Oz and we were comparing stupid stories of his misdeeds. It then turned more flirtatious when I complimented what she was wearing and said she looked beautiful." She shrugged. "As she drank, it was as if I was seeing her in a different light. Without Jacinda and Gothel there, or even Ivy, she could just be Rapunzel again and let her hair down." She chuckled at her joke. "I don't think she'd been able to do that in a while."

"But why the week of silence?" Cora asked, not really wanting to know where the story was leading knowing from Emma that the two had most likely slept together. She'd heard Emma and Regina more than once when they forgot to cast the silencing charm. She definitely didn't want a description of it.

Zelena bit her lip. "She realised when the truth spell and alcohol wore off that something was going on and thought I was setting her up. I promised her that I wasn't, I just wanted to get to know her, so we agreed to disappear for a week and just be us without the family events going on. I only told Margot so she didn't worry."

Emma's brows furrowed. "But you weren't meant to sleep with her to find a new fuck buddy, you were meant to be getting Jacinda and Gothel's plans out of her?"

"_Emma_!" Regina sighed. "Don't."

"Sorry," the blonde murmured. "I'm just confused."

"You and me both," Zelena said with a nervous laugh in her voice. "I know I went into it trying to find out Jacinda's plans but something else happened. Ivy was right. I actually _like_ Victoria."

"That's great and all, but not what we want to hear," Emma replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Regina sighed heavily as she looked at her girlfriend. As brilliant as she was usually, sometimes her empathy was a little lacking.

"I think what Emma means to say," she sideways glanced at her girlfriend, glaring slightly, "is that we're happy for you but can't deny that we are a little confused."

"And you don't think I'm not?" Zelena asked before sighing too. She leant forward and ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, I'm treading carefully, trying to see what can happen between me and Victoria while getting information out of her. For now, all I can say is that Gothel is being moved out of Roger's apartment on Monday to an apartment down the hall from Jacinda as she requested that. Victoria doesn't have any idea that Jacinda is against her, not that I bluntly said anything about that."

Emma raised her eyebrow at the redhead knowing that subtly wasn't her area of expertise.

"As for now, I'll keep trying but all I can say is currently, Jacinda and Gothel don't seem to be planning anything," Zelena finished.

Regina bit her lip as she glanced at Lennie and shared a look with Emma before she turned back to her sister.

"That's what worries me most."


	32. Chapter 32

Three months passed and, in those months, rather a lot happened, yet not much at all at the same time. In terms of Regina and Emma's relationship, things were progressing beautifully. Emma had contacted Chuck to extend the lease on the apartment which he signed off immediately and waivered any fee that she offered to pay which baffled her, but he simply said he wouldn't be where he was now without her, whatever that meant. Once that was sorted, Regina moved in officially, bringing all of Roni's belongings with her.

Lennie for one was loving having both of her mothers there all the time. The only time they had any issue with Lennie was when the pregnancy was revealed. Regina was now just over fifteen weeks pregnant. She'd passed the point where the first two pregnancies ended which was giving her a little bit of hope, but she still didn't want to get ahead of herself. Even when they booked an appointment for the first ultrasound and the doctor said things were progressing beautifully, she still didn't want to risk anything.

It was after the twelve-week scan that Emma and Regina finally told their daughter what was going on. Regina wasn't showing yet, but they wanted to tell her before any changes happened and she started asking questions. The two mothers took their daughter out for dinner and allowed her to order anything she wanted, which included a double chocolate hot fudge sundae which Regina was rather reluctant to indulge her daughter in, but Emma managed to persuade her.

After dinner, they headed home to the empty apartment; Cora was staying at Rumple's so that she was out of the way for the evening. Emma set to getting each of them a drink before they sat on the sofa.

"Lennie, we have something we need to tell you," Emma said quietly to her daughter.

"Are you getting married?" Lennie asked, her eyes wide and bright with excitement at the prospect.

Emma and Regina shared a glance before looking back at their daughter. The blonde was suddenly more panicked than she was due to the mention of marriage.

"No, honey," Regina replied softly. "Well, not yet anyway," she added which churned Emma's stomach even more and she paled, refusing to meet Regina's eye when she turned to the right once more.

Confused, but realising now wasn't the time to be discussing that, Regina turned back to her daughter whose brows were furrowed in confusion.

"Are you breaking up?" She asked. Sheer dread replaced the excitement.

"No, it's not that either," Regina said hurriedly. "In fact, it's something we hope you'll be excited for too."

"Oh?" Now curiosity replaced the dread.

Absentmindedly, Regina rested her hand on her tummy. "You're going to be a big sister."

"What?!" Lennie stood up from the sofa, getting some distance between her mothers. "How?"

"Your mother is going to have a baby," Emma said softly, reaching out to take Regina's hand. She'd recovered from the marriage shock and knew she needed to concentrate on the matter at hand.

"But you said you weren't going to replace me?" Lennie's voice broke at the question and Emma and Regina's hearts went with it.

"Monkey, come here," Emma requested, hoping the use of her nickname would calm her down.

Slowly, Lennie returned back to the sofa and sat on Emma's lap.

"We could never, ever, replace you," Emma said softly. "You're the most wonderful daughter in the world." She pressed a kiss to her head to emphasis her point. "But your mother and I love each other, and we love you and we want to share that love with someone else."

Naturally she couldn't say that the baby was an accident even though it was at first. Now that Regina had calmed down significantly about it, she was seeing it as a gift.

"Exactly," Regina murmured, realising she couldn't have put it better. "We have so much love that we want to share. We still have six months before they make their arrival, so we have time."

"But that scary woman said you'd replace me?" Lennie still sounded a little apprehensive. She started to tear up at the prospect of it all.

Rumple and Cora had created a dreamcatcher to put in Lennie's room which seemed to be working, she hadn't had a nightmare since the event, but clearly the ideas Gothel had put in her head hadn't faded like they'd hoped it would.

"You're irreplaceable, sweetheart," Regina assured her, thumbing away the loose tear that had escaped. "We promise you that."

"It's okay to feel confused," Emma added. "But any questions you have, you can ask us, and we'll answer honestly."

Lennie nodded and swallowed, trying to stop the tears. "How _is_ Mom having a baby?"

Emma and Regina shared another glance, both trying not to chuckle.

"Okay, that one we'll let you when you're older," Emma murmured. "Do you want to see a picture?"

With a wave of her hand, Emma conjured a picture of the sonogram to show the younger blonde. Lennie took hold of the picture. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"That's not a baby! That's a blob!"

Finally, Emma couldn't hold it in anymore, she let out a short but loud laugh. "You looked like that at one point."

"What?" Lennie glanced up at her mother in pure confusion. "Really?"

Emma nodded. "All babies start off like this. The baby is still developing. In another few weeks, they'll start looking more like a baby."

Lennie eyed the photo, still looking very confused. She then turned to Regina and glanced between the photo and her brunette mother's tummy.

"This is in there?"

Regina smiled. "Yeah, they are."

"And they're not replacing me?"

"Never," Emma confirmed.

Finally, Lennie smiled, it was small, a little cautious, but it was a smile nonetheless.

It wasn't smooth sailing after that, Lennie still needed reassurance from her mothers and other family members that she wasn't being replaced by the new baby, but after a couple of weeks, she was starting to get used to the idea.

Another development that had happened over the past three months was between Zelena and Victoria. With the relationship brewing, as they had not made anything official as of yet, Victoria was able to feed information that she'd found out from Jacinda and Gothel.

Victoria had been a little hesitant at the beginning to play spy as she didn't want to betray her daughter's trust. No matter how much Emma wanted to scream at her that her daughter was the biggest piece of shit ever to exist. However, Regina had banned her from saying anything about the subject until it was necessary to tell Victoria the truth. They didn't want to freak her out too early and for her to start reporting things back to Jacinda.

Slowly over the weeks, they decided to try delicately to tell Victoria what one of Jacinda's plans for her truly were. At first, she didn't believe them, even when Zelena confirmed that it was true, Victoria refused to accept it.

It was only after Victoria and Zelena had been dating for two months, Zelena asked Emma to show Victoria her memories of the night when Jacinda revealed it all. It was only then that it clicked for Victoria that her once favourite daughter was actually her worst nightmare.

With that new information, she was happy to become the spy. She just needed to keep an eye out on anything that meant that Jacinda was planning her demise instead of the others.

The last development was with Ivy. With Victoria and Zelena now dating, you would think that would have brought Ivy and her mother together as they'd be spending more time together. However, that was not the case. Victoria was more focussed to defeating Jacinda than bonding with her actual daughter.

In fact, everyone had presumed that with Victoria being on their side now that she would immediately allow Sophia to start living with her mother fulltime as per both Henry and Ivy's wishes, but Victoria had still said she wasn't ready for it which infuriated all parties.

So, no, that wasn't Ivy's development. It was actually with Henry. They were spending one evening a week with Sophia, showing her that they could still be a family even though her parents weren't together anymore. Jacinda, however, was none the wiser that her boyfriend was spending time with his ex and Sophia was definitely not talking about it in front of her stepmother.

Talking about Jacinda and Gothel, the most worrying part regarding them was the fact that they didn't seem to be doing anything. They weren't gathering followers as Rumple was keeping an eye on the evil fairy godmothers and neither had done anything suspicious. They simply owned a laundrette down the road from Roni's. Unless it was charging slightly extortionary rates to wash people's clothes, then they hadn't committed any crimes.

All they knew was that Gothel was no longer living with Rogers, she was 'out in the real world' now apparently. Well, not entirely. That just meant that she was now living in her own space which was in an apartment just down the hall from Jacinda.

When that was first revealed, Emma was furious that Victoria had allowed that crazy woman to live so close to their granddaughter, but Rumple said that he had already charmed the apartment before Gothel had moved in. If she hurt the child, everyone one know about it. However, this just caused even more strife between Ivy and her mother to the point that they weren't particularly on speaking terms anymore.

So, there they were. Emma, Cora and Lennie had been in Hyperion Heights for coming up to four months and Lennie's eighth birthday and Christmas day was just around the corner. They had less than a week before the events and things were already in full swing.

Cora had decorated the apartment with Christmas décor but there was also a banner that read "Happy birthday Lennie!" which would be hung up on Christmas eve, the day of Lennie's birthday. Regina had also ensured that Remy would be working on that day and she had even roped Sabine into helping out so that the family could spend the celebrations together. They would be shutting on Christmas Day as well.

The food had been bought and was currently crammed into every inch of the fridge and freezer because no one wanted to be going out in the freezing cold more than they had to. Sure, they did have magic, but Cora enjoyed prepping Christmas without it.

The only the issue they had was with Lennie's party of sorts. It wasn't going to be a full blow out because they didn't know many people, but Lennie wanted Ivy to be there and Zelena had asked if Victoria could come. However, with the mother and daughter still not particularly seeing eye to eye after the Sophia agenda, it was making things rather difficult for Emma and Regina. Both wanted to grant their daughter's wish and have Ivy there as the two had gotten rather close in the past few months, especially when Sophia was also over, but they also didn't want to piss off Zelena.

Three days before Lennie's birthday and they still hadn't figured it out.

"What are we going to do?" Emma sighed as she climbed into bed beside Regina that evening.

Cora was at Rumple's where she was spending more of her evenings so that Regina, Emma and Lennie could spend more time together as a family. Plus, she was also enjoying her time with her boyfriend without Emma accidentally walking in on them which had happened again a couple of weeks ago leaving all parties rather scarred.

"I don't really want Victoria there, I must admit," Regina replied as she snuggled into Emma's side. "I just don't want to piss off Zelena too. They've been getting on so well."

"All of that still baffles me," Emma murmured. Her hand automatically came down to rest on Regina's barely showing bump. There was a slight curve indicating that something was there but at this point, it could just look like she'd eaten a big meal. Nevertheless, Emma always caressed it gently before they went to sleep, it seemed to ease the brunette's worries.

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "How do you mean?"

Emma bit her lip nervously. She had been thinking for a while but hadn't yet said what was on her mind in case she offended anyone. Yet here in her bedroom with her love, she knew she could always speak her mind and not be judged. Well, not too harshly anyway.

"What if Victoria's playing us?" She asked quietly as she kept her eyes on Regina's tummy.

"Like playing double spy you mean?" Regina clarified, trying, but failing, to meet Emma's eye.

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, she's not really told us any of their plans. She's not really an asset, is she? She's just another burden to us and she's still keeping Soph from Ivy. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"Ah, I see," Regina murmured and finally, Emma looked up to meet her eyes, confusion laced in the green.

"What?"

"It's not the Victoria part you're worrying about because we know she's telling the truth with your in-built lie detector." Regina raised her eyebrow. "Or are you saying it's faulty?"

"It's legit!"

Regina chuckled. "Exactly, which means she's telling the truth when she doesn't know their plans. I guess you don't have to trust her, you just have to believe she's on our side. But with everything that's going on, you're more annoyed that she's keeping Sophia from Ivy. I mean, I am too."

"But she even agreed that Jacinda is a monster," Emma said exasperatedly, "but yet she's still allowing her, _our_, granddaughter to live with her. Ivy is her mother, and she actually _wants_ to be a mother and look after her daughter and she doesn't have the chance."

The frustration was growing for the blonde and Regina was at a slight loss as to how to help.

Emma bit her lip before sighing. "I wanted to keep Henry, but I was too young and scared. Ivy was barely that much older than me when she had Sophia, but she clearly took it in her element because she was surrounded by family and she wanted to be a mother and she doesn't have a chance because of this bloody curse." Emma eye narrowed. "But perhaps that was Victoria's idea all along; separate Sophia and Ivy so that she could have a chance of being a mother again but with Soph to replace Anastacia."

Regina pondered her girlfriend's words for a moment. She reached out and cupped her face gently. "I don't think so, sweetheart, otherwise Sophia would live with her, not Jacinda."

Stumped, Emma frowned. "I guess. I just don't know how to feel about all of this. Why are things never simple?"

"I don't know," Regina murmured before an idea came to her. "Perhaps you should speak to them both at the same time about everything that's going on. Not just because of Lennie's birthday, but I can see this is really affecting you."

"I know what it's like to be cast aside by a mother preferring another sibling," Emma replied. She tried not to think about Snow often, but it was moment like this that it all came back. "I know what it's like to not be good enough for your mother even when you've not done anything wrong. I think that's why it bothers me, because it all reminds me a bit of Snow and all those foster parents in the past who didn't think I'd make it anywhere."

"Oh honey," Regina soothed as she pulled her girlfriend into her. "You're worth everything and more and I know where you're coming from. I know what it's like to be cast aside by your mother too, _but_ I also have a mother who's changed for the better. Hell, if Cora can change, anyone can, and if anyone can make Victoria see that she's being cruel, it's you."

"I guess," Emma murmured.

Regina kissed her softly, allowing their tongues to tangle as she knew it would calm the blonde down. "I'll make some calls tomorrow and get them both in the same place so you can talk to them. Then everyone will be happy, not just at Lennie's birthday party, but in general."

Emma raised her eyebrow at the brunette. "Since when were you the optimist?"

"Since I realised that good things can happen to bad people," she shrugged. When Emma went to speak, Regina cut her off. "I don't see myself as the Evil Queen anymore, don't worry, but I accept that I've done bad things in the past and I'm trying to make up for them. Plus, I have my True Love which I never thought would happen, two wonderful children and I'm currently _pregnant_ with _our_ baby. There's a lot to be optimistic about."

The blonde grinned before sealing their lips together. Suddenly overcome with love, Emma needed to feel her girlfriend as much as possible as she caressed every inch of her body and made gentle love to her well into the night.

oOoOo

The next afternoon found Emma sitting in Roni's with a coffee in front of her. She had made a pact with Regina to no longer drink caffeine if the brunette wasn't allowed her usual intake. Well, Emma wasn't drinking any around the apartment anymore, but she never denied herself one when she was out.

Regina had made the calls and told Ivy to meet her at Roni's on her lunch break. She had also contacted Zelena and told her their plans to unite Victoria with her daughter and she was definitely a fan of that. She had wanted the same, but Victoria was being very stubborn about it. It didn't take long for her to agree that Emma would be a good way to help them bond. If that didn't work, then they weren't sure what they'd do.

After sitting there for ten minutes, as she'd gotten there a little early, Emma saw her first guest arrive. Ivy walked in, her eyes scanning for the familiar brunette, but she was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around, her eyes saw the blonde and she headed over.

"Is Regina here?" She asked before glancing at her watch. "I'm meant to be meeting her for lunch."

"You're meeting me actually," Emma replied. "Take a seat. Our other guest should be here in a minute."

Ivy's brows furrowed in confusion, but she took a seat beside the blonde anyway. She trusted her and knew she wasn't in danger. Seeing Emma's drink, she flicked her wrist and produced a small coffee for herself.

As per Emma's words, not a minute later, two heads appeared through the door, one red and the other a dyed blonde. Emma tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Victoria was meant to come alone, not with Zelena.

"I'm leaving," Ivy murmured as she saw the two approaching.

Emma reached out and grasped her wrist lightly. "No, you're not."

Victoria then eyed her daughter and made to leave but Zelena grabbed her and motioned her to the table. Well, at least Zelena had come in useful.

Finally, the four of them were either stood or sat by the table.

"Take a seat, Vicky," Emma instructed.

Even though they were getting on a little better, well that was a bit of a stretch for the fact they could just about tolerate being in the same room, Emma had continued to use the nickname. Victoria didn't cringe quite as much when she heard it, but it still wasn't her favourite name.

Victoria then sat down before glancing at Zelena, silently asking her to join. The witch was a little hesitant before looking at Emma who simply rolled her eyes but nodded. Perhaps things would go a little more smoothly if Zelena was there to keep Victoria calm.

"Look," Emma began, "you two are family whether you like it or not." She glanced between Ivy and Victoria. "And it's Christmas so we have to sort this out now for the sake of family. I know exactly what it's like to give a child away because you couldn't look after them and you wanted to give him his best chance which he got with Regina. Victoria," Emma turned to the woman, "you've had the chance to be a mother three times. I know Anastacia died, but you have to continue to live. You put the love you had for her into Jacinda and then when you found out that she was actually plotting to kill you, what did you do? You channelled the love into hatred, still directed at Jacinda. You still have a daughter alive, but you just don't seem to care?"

Ivy bit her lip as she listened to the blonde's words. She'd always wanted to ask her mother this, but she'd never gathered the nerve. She knew she would have been able to if Henry was there, but he wasn't, and part of that was her mother's fault. The growing anger she'd felt towards her mother over the past few months were starting to grow even darker.

"Exactly!" She snapped. "No wonder Jacinda wants to kill you! You're the worst mother in the world. I actually want to be a mother to my daughter, but _you_ won't allow me!" She then shot up, pushing her chair from behind her. She looked at Emma. "I get what you want to do, but I don't want this monster controlling my life anymore. In fact, I don't want you in it anymore."

She headed towards the door.

"Ivy, where are you going?" Emma asked after her.

"To get my daughter!"

The door slammed behind her leaving the three at the table staring at the wood.

"That was not how it was meant to go," Emma murmured.

Victoria, usually glowing, was pale as she looked back on the blonde. "You're right and I know I should be trying to fix what's happened, but I can't help but feel like there's something more going on."

Zelena turned to her partner. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Ivy has never acted like that with me, even with everything that's happened in the past as Drizella too," Victoria said carefully. When it looked like neither Emma nor Zelena were following, she continued. "I told you, Gothel's plan is to become the mother to us all. You said you'd protected Lennie's dreams from her?" Emma nodded. "Then she's changed her target to Ivy to turn her against me and she hasn't realised. Potentially to make me devote my time to Jacinda. Keep your enemies closer right?"

Zelena turned to the blonde and pulled her in for a kiss. "You're a genius!"

Victoria blushed and Emma wasn't sure if it was the open PDA which Victoria usually shied away from or the fact that she'd been called a genius.

The witch then turned back to Emma.

"Think about it, if Gothel and Jacinda think that Victoria has lost Ivy for good, she'll concentrate on Jacinda," Zelena said. "She'd be putty in their hands to do their bidding and then they can dispose of her whenever."

Emma swallowed. "So, my plan to reunite you both won't work yet?"

Victoria shook her head and smiled sadly. "I guess not, but you are right. I do need to make amends with my daughter. I've gone about everything in the wrong way. I love her and I need to show her that."

Zelena squeezed Victoria's knee supportively. "You will, but for now, as much as I hate it, we need to let this play out. Can you allow that?"

Slowly, Victoria nodded. "I'll have to."


	33. Chapter 33

When Emma got home that afternoon, shortly after Victoria's epiphany, she realised that they still hadn't figured out what they were going to do about Lennie's birthday. Part of her wanted to invite both of them so she could see how Gothel was turning Ivy against her mother, but Emma didn't want a kick off to be at her daughter's birthday. That wouldn't be fair.

"How did it go?"

Emma looked up to see Regina standing by the corridor wearing a very slinky dressing gown which made Emma' throat go dry.

"Where's Lennie?" Emma asked instead of replying.

"With her grandparents," Regina replied. "They wanted to treat the birthday girl and I wanted to treat you."

She slipped her dressing gown off to reveal a lacy black teddy that barely covered her skin. It dipped low between her breast, stopping just above her belly button and the back seemed to consist of the pantie section and straps to hold it up. Emma's eyes widened in sheer lust as she crossed the room until she was a millimetre away from the brunette. She wasted no time in pulling her in for a deep kiss, letting their tongues tangle and her hands wander, feeling every inch of the brunette's lace covered body.

"You are utter perfection," Emma husked before kissing her again, quickly trailing her lips towards Regina's ear to nibble softly on it, knowing how much it ignited her.

This time, Regina took a step back, pulling the blonde into their bedroom. The door was slammed shut behind them, despite the fact no one else was in, and Emma's jumper was being pulled off in seconds until she was left in her matching light blue underwear.

Regina strutted towards the bed before perching on the edge. She crossed her legs over and leant back on her hands.

"Come," she beckoned seductively.

Emma didn't need telling twice, she rushed forward and knelt in front of her Queen before trailing her body in licks and kisses, not yet taking off the lace. She pulled one nipple into her mouth through the lace, allowing the extra layer to heighten the sensations she felt. It was clearly working when Regina pulled Emma's head closer.

Smirking, Emma moved her lips and licked the crevice between her breast before moving over to the other nipple, laving it in as much attention as she had the other. The stimulation was enough to have Regina panting above her.

Slowly, but surely, Emma made her way down her body until she nudged the brunette's legs aside. With the teddy still in place, Emma wrapped her lips around Regina's clit and sucked once.

"Emma!"

Grinning into her love's sex, Emma repeated her actions twice more before slipping the offending item to the side. She ran her tongue through Regina's sopping folds, gathering as much as she could to swallow the sweet yet musky tang down. She couldn't get enough of it, but the teddy was getting in her way. Not wanting to rip it, she quickly waved her hand and the lace disappeared.

Once it was gone, she replaced it with her mouth, licking everywhere and anyway, even slipping up to the place Regina only let her play with when she was incredibly aroused. When the shriek of, 'no!' never came, Emma let her tongue wander around her rosebud for an extra second before returning to her clit. Regina's shouts and groans were enough to make Emma come undone without being touched.

Glancing up, she saw the brunette was playing with her own nipples. Squeezing and tweaking them to her heart's desire. Emma groaned at the sight before returning to where she wanted to be. She trailed her tongue through Regina before stiffening it and slipping inside her. The brunette bucked her hips into Emma's face, allowing her nose to bump against her clit.

"EM!"

Emma continued her movements, flicking everywhere inside the brunette, allowing her nose to bump against her clit every now and then before she felt the tell-tale signs of Regina's fast approaching climax. Her hole was quivering around her tongue and her needy cries were echoing around the room.

Not one to allow the brunette to suffer, well, not anymore, Emma quickly slipped her tongue out and replaced it with two fingers before wrapping her lips around Regina's protruding clit. Seconds later, the brunette screamed and clamped Emma's head between her legs, not that she was complaining, as Emma let her ride out her orgasm, her fingers pumping slowly and her tongue trailing light circles over her clit, until she calmed down.

Regina flopped back on the bed. "Fuck, you're good at that."

Smirking, Emma wiped her mouth on the back of her hand before she kissed her way up Regina's body. She pecked both, now free, nipples before grazing her teeth on her pulse point. Once she reached Regina's lips, she kissed them softly, allowing the brunette to taste herself.

As always, she groaned at the taste, unembarrassed that she enjoyed the way she tasted.

"I love you," Regina breathed softly, clearly exhausted, her eyes starting to flutter shut.

"I love you too," Emma replied with a small chuckle in her voice. "Do you need a nap?"

Chocolate brown eyes snapped opened. "But what about you?"

"I can wait until you're awake or can even move," Emma teased, kissing her girlfriend slightly.

"I can do it," Regina insisted before she moved herself, lacking her useful grace as her limbs were still a little like jelly, until her head was just below the pillows.

Emma looked on, slightly confused until Regina smirked.

"Sit on me," she instructed, giving Emma her biggest seductive smile that she knew the blonde could never refuse.

"Fuck, you're going to be the death of me," Emma husked out.

"Well, what a good way to go. Sit."

Never one to refuse the brunette, Emma ripped off her underwear and shuffled up the bed until she was straddling the brunette's face. She gripped onto the bed frame before shifting a fraction forward until her sex was directly above Regina's lips. Her tongue immediately snaked out, slipping through Emma's netherlips, drinking her down. Loving how wet she had become from fucking her.

"Fuck!" Emma gasped, allowing herself to be as loud as she wanted without the silencing spell. "More, baby, please!"

At the request, Regina pulled Emma's clit into her mouth before flicking her tongue rapidly over it, mixing up the directions once Emma was used to one.

Before long, Emma was panting and slightly bouncing over Regina's face as she suckled her clit for all it was worth. As her orgasm was approaching, Regina lifted her right hand and ran her finger through Emma's wetness, covering it completely. She circled Emma's hole and dipped her finger in ever so shallowly, enjoying the feeling of Emma's hole clenching around nothing when she removed it, before she slipped her finger further back.

"Ginny!"

That proved that Emma was so lost in the moment that Regina could literally do anything to her. She smirked against Emma's clit as her finger circled Emma's rosebud.

Just as Emma was about to come, Regina pushed against the tight sphincter ever so slightly and Emma screamed into her orgasm, stars shining behind her lids. However, unlike Emma, Regina didn't allow her to ride out her orgasm slowly. Instead she continued her attack on her clit while pushing her finger further in.

Emma screamed again at the sensation, enjoying the burn as she was stretched while Regina kept suckling her clit. Once the finger was fully sheathed, Regina sucked hard on her clit and Emma fell forward as her climax overtook her once more. She could feel the sweat tingling around her body.

Slowly, Regina pulled her finger out and kissed Emma's thigh before the blonde flopped to the side.

"And you say I'm good!" Emma panted, causing the brunette to smirk.

"I never said I wasn't."

"I'll laugh when I have some energy!"

Regina chuckled and allowed the blonde to regain her energy. She flicked her wrist so that her hands were clean once more. Soon enough, she was crawling back up the bed until she was laying beside the brunette. Softly, she kissed Regina's neck as she snuggled in.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?" Emma asked.

"We've been so busy planning Lennie's birthday and figuring everything out that I thought we could use some time to just be us," Regina replied, pressing a kiss to Emma's brow. "Plus, I found that while I was packing my things to move and don't recall ever wearing it."

Emma laughed quietly. "I'm definitely a fan of that."

She kissed the brunette softly. Regina went to deepen the kiss before a gurgle interrupted them.

"And that's my cue to feed you," she chuckled.

Emma blushed. "I didn't actually get any lunch."

Regina smiled. "Then help me up because your baby needs feeding too."

As always, Emma grinned at the words. She loved how comfortable Regina was growing regarding the pregnancy. She still wasn't as excited as Emma was, but she was getting there.

As requested, Emma gently pulled Regina off the bed and conjured up her fallen gown from the hallway, helping the brunette into it before she picked up her emergency pyjamas that they kept by the bed in case Lennie wanted to join them on a morning.

Once they were both reasonably covered, they headed towards the kitchen and Regina went to start prepping some lunch, making a simple ham salad sandwich. Emma pulled a face at the lettuce which made the brunette chuckle and roll her eyes.

While Regina made the food, Emma set to making them both a decaffeinated cup of tea. When everything was ready, the two sat at the table and began eating.

"So how did it go?" Regina asked after a couple of bites. "I believe you got a little distracted earlier."

Emma chuckled. "You don't say." She put her sandwich down and sighed. "In one way, it's even worse, but in the other, it's better."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "And you get annoyed when Zelena is being cryptic."

"Sorry," Emma said. "Ivy is even angrier at Victoria than she was, but we've figured out why."

"Oh?"

Emma picked up her sandwich for another bite before becoming serious. "As Gothel can't get to Lennie's dreams anymore, she's gone to Ivy's. It looks like Gothel and Jacinda are now trying to cut the ties between Victoria and Ivy completely so that Victoria will concentrate on Jacinda and help her any way she can. They still don't know that she's on our side now."

Regina bit her lip. "But surely they must if she spends all of her time with Zelena?"

"I think she disillusions herself when she goes over so that they don't know who she is," Emma said, casting her mind back to when she'd asked Zelena the same thing.

"Oh yeah, pregnancy brain." Regina blushed making Emma smile again, loving that Regina was willingly speaking about the pregnancy.

"It's cute," Emma murmured before kissing her softly before becoming serious once more. "The only issue we have is that Ivy is now adamant that Sophia should live with her. She stormed out stating that she was going to get her."

Regina's eyes hardened as a thought came to her. "But that's going to give Jacinda leverage over her. If Ivy storms in, demanding her daughter, Jacinda is going to be able shut her down and refuse. As far as the law is concerned, Henry and Jacinda have full custody."

"Yeah, but Henry wants Ivy to have custody," Emma said. "Won't he allow it?"

"I'm not sure," Regina said wistfully. "I mean, this Henry is different to ours. Not by much but a little. His memories are telling him that he's had a hard life, so he just wants simplicity now."

"So we need to stop Ivy trying to get Sophia?" Emma asked.

However, before Regina could answer, footsteps were heard hurrying to the apartment door which ended with a loud knock.

Confused, Emma stood up and headed to the door. Slowly, she pulled it back to see Ivy looking terrified, her throat red raw, with Sophia in her arms. It didn't take long to realise that something was very, very wrong. Sophia was usually quiet, but this time, she wasn't even moving.

"I need your help," Ivy all but begged.

Emma stepped to the side immediately. "Of course."

Regina rushed from the table when she heard the desperation in Ivy's voice. "What's wrong?" She then saw Ivy's throat. "What happened?"

"Gothel," Ivy mutter darkly as she laid her lifeless daughter on the sofa. "They knew I was going to go there at some point to get her and they were prepared." Her voice broke and tears started to fall rapidly as she looked at her daughter. "I don't know how to save her."

Regina waved her hand over Sophia's body. "She's asleep but it's not the usually sleeping curse with which I'm familiar." She glanced at Ivy. "What exactly happened?"

Ivy bit her lip before her story unfolded.

After snapping at her mother, Ivy left Roni's and headed towards Belfrey's tower block. She entered her apartment and waved her hand, clearing up anything that could be deemed dangerous for when she brought back Sophia because she was determined that she would be moving in with her.

Hearing Emma speak the words she'd been thinking for the past few months, hell, her entire life since Ana had died and Victoria had married Marcus, brining Jacinda into her life, made everything even more real. Even after finding out that Jacinda wanted her dead, Victoria still chose to concentrate her affections, or in this case lack of, onto her stepdaughter when Ivy was right there, where she had always been.

She had thought that when she revealed to her mother that she was expecting, their relationship would improve, and Victoria would have a change of heart and would want to know her daughter and her granddaughter. However, it seemed she just wanted to get to know the baby without Ivy. With the curse being cast, Victoria got her wish. She was able to see Sophia and have her belong to her favourite daughter. There was no way that Victoria was on their side. She was definitely planning something that would screw them all.

With the fury still pumping through her body, she knew she needed to get her daughter out and she needed to do it now.

Once everything was tidy and to her standards, Ivy set off towards Jacinda's flat. She knew Henry would be at work so he wouldn't be an issue.

When she was outside, she banged more than knocked on the door, her anger still boiling within.

The door opened to reveal a very confused Jacinda.

"Ivy?"

"Where's Sophia?" She demanded, not bothering with niceties.

"In her room?" Jacinda replied, still looking rather confused.

"She's coming with me," Ivy snapped, barging past her stepsister and into the apartment.

Finally, realisation dawned on her and her lips pulled into a smirk. "Oh please, Ivy, you're not taking her. You don't have custody and Mother won't allow it."

"Fuck what _Mother_ says!" Ivy hissed. "Sophia is _my _daughter. She wants to live with me. _Henry_ wants her to live with me, her _mother_. I'm done with Mother and I'm done with this charade. If you don't want to end up on the wrong side of me again, I suggest you allow me to do so."

Jacinda crossed her arms and moved to stand in front of the entrance to the corridor that led to Sophia's bedroom. "I wouldn't, if I were you."

Ivy scoffed. "I'm not scared of you, Jacinda."

Her stepsister's smirk widened. "It's not me you have to be scared of."

As if the words were her cue, Gothel stepped out from behind Jacinda. Her eyes already ablaze, a sign that Regina had taught her to recognise when the opposition was gathering their magic. Something was about to go down.

Quickly, she tried to gather her own but as she went to ignite the fireballs, she felt her magic restricted.

"Dear Drizella," Gothel said patronisingly. "Do you really think you can battle me?"

Ivy's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to fight. I want my daughter."

Gothel laughed. "She's part of my plan. As are you."

Confusion clouded Ivy's fury briefly as she took in Gothel's words because she let her anger take control once more, allowing it to completely take over her body.

"I do not care! I'm taking my daughter."

And with that, Ivy's love for her daughter combined with her wrath. She all but exploded. The room shuddered and the two clutched the doorframe to stop themselves from falling.

Using that to her advantage, Ivy dashed forward and into Sophia's bedroom, seeing that her daughter was currently asleep.

"Wakey, wakey, Soph," she murmured softly. "It's me."

Sophia's eyes fluttered open as she took in her mother before grinning.

"Mommy!"

She flung out of bed and into her mother's arms, clutching her tightly. Ivy went to summon her magic to transport them back home but just as the smoke was about to appear, Gothel and Jacinda burst into the room.

Gothel waved her arms in a complex motion and Sophia was suddenly pulled out of Ivy's arms and into Jacinda's who then left the room. Ivy went to follow but Gothel's magic was on her once more. Her arms were pulled back by vines which were weaving up towards her neck, slowly starting to wrap around her throat. Fear flashed through Ivy's eyes as she realised the end was upon her and she wouldn't be able to tell Henry that she loved him one last time.

The vines were closing in and her breathing was starting to falter as air became difficult to grasp. Gothel's stare narrowed before smirking.

"Your time in my plan is over," she said with a delighted lint in her voice. "We'll take good care of Sophia Enna." Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.

Alone and breathless, Ivy tried to focus on getting her arms free and the vines away from her neck, but she couldn't gather her magic. She thought of Henry and their love but even the power of that didn't seem to break the curse on her.

It wasn't until she heard Sophia shriek in pain that she found the strength. She concentrated on that cry as her magic thrummed to her fingertips, sparking at the end. A fireball illuminated in her fists causing the vines to turn to ash, killing them at the root. The vines around her neck faltered and fell to the floor.

Gasping for breath, she tried to pull in as much air as she could, filling her lungs before another shriek pulled her from herself once more. On shaking legs, she sprinted back to the living room to see Sophia lying on the floor with Jacinda sitting beside her, pinning her arms down as her legs kicked out. Gothel was standing by her head, her own head thrown back and arms outstretched, as if trying to summon something.

"I call upon you, using the sacrificed to embed into this body," Gothel was chanting, not seeing or hearing Ivy's entrance. Jacinda was too busy trying to restrain the child to notice.

Ivy used that to her advantage, conjuring the biggest fireball to throw at the daemon mother.

"With all this power, I command you to ignite the thunder!" Gothel finished. She moved her hands towards Sophia who stopped fighting and stilled immediately. A shot of light flowed from Gothel's hands, landing on Sophia's chest. Jacinda moved out of the way.

With the two still distracted, Ivy blasted her fireball towards Gothel, knowing that she would be able to take Jacinda on should she move. The fire hit Gothel square in the chest and she fell, hitting her head against the counter behind her, completely knocked out.

Jacinda rushed over to Gothel's side immediately, but Ivy didn't care if she had made her bleed, she was too focussed on her daughter who wasn't breathing. Quickly, she picked her up and transported them out of there until she was in the hallway outside Emma's apartment, running towards the door.

Emma and Regina listed to her story and gasped at every moment and horror that hit their ears.

"Oh god," Emma murmured. "Let me look at your neck."

"I'm fine," Ivy whispered, her voice a little hoarse from talking. "We need to save Sophia."

"We will," Regina assured her. "We need to take care of you first."

Slowly, Ivy nodded and allowed Emma to gently press against her neck, feeling how damaged the skin was. There was a thick red line from where the vine had strangled her. On a closer inspection, it was bruising around the line. Gently, Emma pressed her fingertips against the centre of her throat, heeling it from inside to out. After a couple of minutes, the bruise faded and the redline heeled.

"Thank you," Ivy whispered, her voice feeling better already before she glanced back down at her daughter. "What was the spell she was casting?"

Both Emma and Ivy looked to Regina, hoping she would have the answer.

Regina bit her lip as she glanced down at her granddaughter. She gently reached out and stroked her paling cheek.

"I've never heard of the enchantment," she revealed slowly, "then the fact that she was cut off from completion will have affected it and the fact that there wasn't a sacrificial as Ivy was still alive, it wasn't going to work." She paused for a moment. "I'm afraid I don't know what's wrong with her, so I don't know how to wake her." She glanced to Emma. "Can you wish her better?"

Emma bit her lip. "I'm not sure."

Regina reached out to squeeze Emma's arm. "Try at least?"

Swallowing nervously, Emma crouched beside her granddaughter. She'd never seen her look so small.

Gently, she reached out and rested her hand on Sophia's heart. Closing her eyes, she wished; _I wish you would wake up_. She hesitated a fraction before she opened her eyes but when she eventually did, Sophia's eyes were still completely shut, her breathing still even. She closed her eyes once more and tried again. _I wish I knew what was wrong_. Again, she waited to see if anything would happen but nothing. She tried a few variants of essentially wishing that Sophia would wake up or they could figure out what was wrong with her but every time it came up empty.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Emma stood back up and headed towards Regina who was now standing beside a sobbing Ivy.

"There's nothing I can do," she murmured sadly. "We need more help." She then glanced at her girlfriend. "I'll call Cora and Rumple, you get tea."

Regina nodded and gently let go of Ivy to get some tea ready while Emma pulled out her phone.

Fifteen minutes later, Cora and Rumple walked through the front door.

"Lennie is with Zelena," Cora said. "It sounded like she shouldn't be here."

Emma smiled gratefully at her mother. "Thanks." She then turned to Rumple. "I tried to wish her better, but nothing would work."

Rumple smiled softly. "Wishing will only go so far sometimes."

He then headed towards Sophia's body, already running spells on her, trying to diagnose what was going on. He didn't say anything to anyone as sparks flew from his fingers.

After a full ten minutes, he stepped back but Sophia was still asleep. Everyone looked at him, ready for his verdict. He turned to Ivy.

"You need to call Henry. We need to get her to the hospital," he instructed, his voice low. "Now."

_A/N: Quick heads up that there won't be a new chapter on Tuesday, but I'll be back as usual on Thursday! I hope everyone is loving the story so far. As always, let me know what you what you think! Love, Emss x_


	34. Chapter 34

An hour later and there was still no change in Sophia except for her location and the people around her. Ivy had called Henry and told him that she went to pick up Sophia from his, but their daughter was asleep and wouldn't wake up. She didn't directly say Jacinda was to blame but it was heavily implied. He immediately set off to the hospital to meet her there.

Cora and Rumple stayed at the apartment and arranged for Lennie to be dropped back off at home and Emma and Regina went to the hospital with Ivy, wanting to know if there was anything they could help with. The doctors wouldn't tell them anything because 'they weren't family'. Regina had to cover Emma's mouth as she went to contradict the nurse.

"We can't admit that, honey," Regina murmured softly, wrapping her arms softly around her girlfriend.

Emma swallowed before nodding. They then entered the room where both Ivy and Henry were sitting at either side of their daughter, each holding her hand as she laid in the bed. The small girl was surrounded by tubes and machines as they tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Naturally the doctors didn't have a clue.

When Emma asked Rumple why she needed to be taken to the hospital, he reluctantly said that her heartbeat was started to slow ever so gently. If she wasn't hooked up to life support, it would stop within a couple of hours. Even though the doctors didn't know what was wrong with her, they could keep an eye on her and if she needed any medication, they would be able to provide it.

The main issue they had was trying to explain what had actually happened to the doctors. They were able to honestly say they didn't know but the doctor's kept pushing until Ivy snapped.

"I don't know what happened to my daughter!" She screamed. "I went over to my ex's apartment to pick her up and she was in this state already. If you want to ask anyone, ask Jacinda Vidrio!"

As soon as she said that, the doctors dispersed to call the police to investigate Jacinda. Henry stayed quiet the entire time.

So, there they were in Sophia's room with Emma and Regina standing nervously at the bottom of the bed.

Henry turned to the women. "Thank you for helping Ivy to get Soph here," he murmured.

Emma smiled softly. "I said we'd always be here to help."

"Even though I haven't seen you in a while," Regina added with a raised eyebrow, trying to channel Roni at that moment.

Henry sighed. "Sorry, Roni, I've just been busy. I've been picking up extra shifts because Jacinda's been doing less and less work. I haven't had time to come in for a drink."

Regina frowned as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder supportively. "You could have told me. I'd have helped you out if I could."

"You're too good to me, Roni," he sighed before slowly smiling. "I believe congratulations are in order, I think?"

Emma tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

She presumed he meant the pregnancy, but they'd asked Ivy and Victoria not to mention anything to Henry because they wouldn't be able to explain the conception. However, it seemed someone had told him.

Henry looked at Regina. "Jacinda said you were expecting. I'm a little confused how unless Emma has a very big secret!"

Laughter broke out in the private room. Even Ivy chuckled despite the trauma she was going through.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Emma murmured.

Henry raised his eyebrow and it broke Emma heart how much he looked like both Lennie and Regina in that moment. She wished she could comment on it, but she couldn't. As he went to reply, they were interrupted by the door slamming open.

"Sophia!"

Everyone turned to see Victoria standing at the door, breathing quickly and her eyes wide in fear. "Zee told me what happened. Is she okay?"

Ivy gently dropped her daughter's hand as she took a few steps towards her mother. The room turned cold and the tension brewed until you could have cut it with a knife.

"This is all your fault!" Ivy hissed, her voice thick with venom. "If you hadn't made her live with Jacinda in the first play, my daughter wouldn't be fighting for her life!"

If it were possible, Victoria's eyes widened even further as she digested her daughter's words.

"I didn't mean–"

"You never mean anything!" Ivy snapped. "You don't think about anyone but yourself, just as Emma said this morning. _When_ Sophia gets better, she _is_ living with me and you won't be able to see her."

"Ivy," Henry whispered, trying to calm her down. He crossed the room and rested a hand on her shoulder, playing with the bottom of her neck with his thumb, something he always did in the past.

Almost immediately, Ivy's shoulders deflated and she took a deep breath, already calming down in Henry's presence.

"I mean it, Mother," she said. "But for now, I don't want you here either. Just go home."

Slowly, Victoria nodded and went to make her leave. Just as she reached the door, it opened to real a doctor.

"Do you have any results?" Ivy asked, hope thick in her voice.

Sadly, the doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Ms Belfrey. However, we would like your family to provide a blood sample for a genetic match should a need for a donor arise."

"What about other family members?" Emma asked. "Like grandparents?" She glanced at Victoria to back up her point, but Regina was already on the same page as her.

The doctor pondered it for a second and nodded. "The more the better. If there is any other family that could help, that would be great."

Ivy then looked up at Emma, trying to telepathically ask her to somehow get tested. Emma nodded subtly.

"I'll go get things sorted and call the first person in ten," the doctor said before he slipped out the room.

"I'm just going to nip to the bathroom," Emma added, glancing at Ivy before heading out the room.

The blonde followed the doctor for a few steps before calling out to him.

"Can you test me too for a potential donor?" She asked.

The doctor looked puzzled for a moment. "Are you family?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I'm her auntie," she lied, "but Henry, her father, doesn't know that I'm actually his sister." She pulled a face to add to her story. "A very complicated family but I don't want that to get in the way of saving her."

"You can go first then," the doctor said once he wrapped his mind around it.

Ten minutes later, Emma was heading back into Sophia's private room, rolling her sleeve over the bandage as she went. As she approached, a thought flew through her that turned her blood cold. Ivy had said she'd knocked Gothel out and Jacinda didn't have any magic to heal her. The police wouldn't find them in the apartment because they'd most like be in the same hospital they were currently and there was a chance they could bring Jacinda down to see Sophia as she was technically one of her legal guardians.

Quickly, and as discreetly as she could, Emma cast a protection charm around Sophia's room so that Jacinda and Gothel wouldn't be able to enter. She saw the flicker surround the room and Regina's glance to the right in panic, clearly thinking Gothel was coming. When she saw Emma and her arms outstretched, she understood and calmed down.

The blonde then headed towards the door once more. Once she was inside, she nodded to Ivy, silently telling her that she got tested. The doctor soon returned and asked Victoria to go with him.

Victoria hesitated as she looked at her daughter who had returned to sitting beside her daughter. "I'll head off after this," she murmured, waiting for Ivy to respond but she didn't.

"Thank you for coming, Victoria," Henry replied instead. "It means a lot."

She flashed a sad smile before following the doctor out of the room.

Henry then turned to Ivy. "What happened between the two of you? I know you don't get on well, but this is the worst I've seen you in years."

Ivy bit her lip and sighed but kept her focus on her daughter. "I've just had enough of her shit. Sophia is my daughter and I should never have let her separate us. She isn't anymore." She then looked up at Henry. "I'm sorry, but if you want to live with her fulltime once she's better, you'll just have to live with us."

In her distress, Ivy didn't realise the heavy meaning behind her words. Her focus was solely on her daughter.

Henry laughed nervously. "I'll have a think."

Sensing the two were about to have a deep conversation, Regina coughed quietly. "We'll head home. We need to talk to Lennie about what's happened. Let us know if there are any updates."

Ivy half smiled. "I will. Tell Lennie I'm sorry I won't be able to make it to her birthday on Monday."

Emma walked over and squeezed Ivy's hand. "Well let her know, but you can't stay here all the time. It's not good for you. Maybe an hour away with us would do you some good?"

The young mom started to tear up as she glanced back to her daughter. "I can't leave her."

"We'll work something out," Henry promised before glancing back at the two women he didn't remember were his mothers. "Thanks again."

Regina squeezed his shoulder. "You don't need to thank us."

The two then made their leave. As they walked down the corridor, hand in hand, they saw the doctor walk towards them and bid them goodbye as he went to take Henry and Ivy's blood.

Once they were alone, Regina turned to her girlfriend. "How did you convince him to test you?"

Emma chuckled quietly. "I said I was Henry's sister, but he didn't know because our family is complicated."

"That's definitely one word for our family," Regina agreed as they headed to Rumple's car. He'd lent it to them so they could get to the hospital quickly but without magic. Ivy had sat in the back with Sophia on her knee and Emma drove as quickly but calmly as she could.

They got into the car and Emma started the ignition before they set off.

"I just hope they don't pick up that I'm actually her grandmother, not her auntie," Emma murmured as she pulled into the traffic. "That would definitely cause a stir in the clinic."

Regina chuckled quickly. "I don't think they're looking for the relationship, just if you have matching components that could help her." She sighed. "Perhaps we should get Rumple tested too."

Emma shook her head. "No, that would confuse matters worse if Henry found out." She hesitated before coming up with another suggestion. "What about Lennie?"

"What?" Regina cried incredulously. "No, that's not fair."

"It was just a suggestion," Emma replied, raising one hand up in defence before indicating the next left.

When she finally pulled over into the parking spot that Rumple usually occupied, Emma turned back to Regina.

"I'm just saying, Lennie could be a good match too as her auntie, but I won't suggest it if you don't think so."

"I just don't think it'll be necessary," Regina said. "The cure to whatever is affecting our granddaughter won't be medical. It'll be magical."

And with that, Regina undid her seatbelt and headed out of the car. Emma hurried to follow her as the two made their way up to the apartment.

Just as they got to the door, Regina turned to Emma. "Good thinking on protecting her room. I didn't think to do it."

"I realised Jacinda may have taken Gothel to the hospital after Ivy knocked her out," Emma shrugged as if was no big deal despite enjoying the compliment.

They entered the apartment to see the three inhabitants sitting on the sofa. Cora was leaning into Rumple with Lennie's head in her lap. It didn't take long for the mothers to realise she was asleep.

"She got a little bit upset when we were telling her about Sophia," Cora whispered, not wanting to wake her up. "She tired herself out."

Emma smiled sadly. "How long has she been out?"

Cora glanced at her watch. "About half an hour?"

"We should wake her so she sleeps later," Regina murmured before crossing over. She crouched in front of her daughter and gently stroked her hair. "Lennie, wakey wakey, it's Mom."

Slowly, Lennie's eyes fluttered open. "Moms?"

"We're here," Regina confirmed softly.

Suddenly wide awake, Lennie bounced off her grandmother's lap and into Regina's arms. Emma walked over and joined the hug.

"Is Sophia okay?!" Lennie asked, her head flicking between mothers for an answer.

"She's in the hospital," Emma replied and her heart broke when Lennie started to tear up. She knew her daughter was fond of Sophia, but she hadn't realised how deep those feelings went.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Emma reached out to wipe her daughter's tears away. "We hope so."

Her daughter was clever enough to know when she was being lied to so there was no point sugar coating things. Lennie was already upset.

"Did the doctors say anything?" Cora asked. "Or ask anything in particular?"

Regina shook her head. "Not really. They asked for a blood sample in case the worst happens. Obviously, Henry and Ivy had their bloods done and then Victoria and Emma did to."

"I'm presuming you didn't give the main reason why you should be tested?" Rumple said, speaking for the first time.

Emma chuckled slightly. "I said I was Henry's secret sister. Let's just hope the tests don't flag up that I'm actually Sophia's grandmother."

"Good thinking," Cora murmured.

Lennie then stepped back from her mothers and looked at Emma, her eyes wide.

"You're Sophia's grandmother?!" She gasped and Emma realised her mistake. They had never referred to Sophia as such with Lennie around because she didn't want to complicate everything that was going on any further.

Slowly, Emma turned to her daughter. She saw that she was now more confused than upset.

"Len, come sit down," Emma requested. She then took a seat on the opposite sofa to where Cora and Rumple were sitting. She tapped the space next to her. "Come on."

Lennie hesitated for a second or two before relenting and sitting beside her blonde mother. Regina followed her daughter and saw beside her, hoping that she could be of some comfort.

Emma took a deep breath; it was time to tell her daughter what she probably should have told her a few months ago.

"Yes, your mother and I are Sophia's grandmothers," she began. "Our son, your brother, Henry, is Sophia's father."

"I didn't realise," Lennie murmured. "I mean, I knew I had a brother called Henry, and Sophia said her dad was called Henry, but I didn't link it together." She hesitated for a second as something else seemed to click. "So, Sophia is my niece?"

Regina nodded. "Yes."

Lennie then shot up out of her seat. "I have to help her! Mom, can the doctor take my blood too? I could help save her!"

"No, sweetheart," Regina said, answering before Emma could speak, knowing that the blonde would agree with her.

Emma knew that she struggled with ever saying 'no' to their daughter. It was the fact that her eyes were so like Regina's and Emma could never say 'no'.

"But–"

"No buts, Elena," Regina said firmly. "You're too young."

Lennie frowned at every aspect of what her mother had just said. Not just to the fact she'd said no but also the fact she addressed her as Elena which only happened a couple of times when she'd tried to push her luck before and the fact that she'd said she was too young.

"I'm eight in two days!"

"But you're still too young for something like this, darling," Cora murmured, hoping that backing up Regina would take some off the heat off the brunette. "We know you want to help, you're very much like Emma that way. Clearly being the saviour runs in your blood," she flashed a smile at Emma who rolled her eyes but chuckled nonetheless, "but sometimes, you have to rely on adults. I promise you, sweetheart, we will figure out what's wrong with Sophia."

"And Soph will get better?" Lennie asked, the hope clear in her voice.

"We hope so," Emma replied before changing the subject. "Now, have you guys eaten as I, for one, am starving!"

The previous conversation was all but forgotten at the mention of food. It turned out that the others hadn't gotten around to eating as Lennie had fallen asleep and Cora hadn't wanted to move her. As no one felt like cooking after such a long day, it was soon decided that they would get pizza delivered.

Half an hour later, the family were digging into pepperoni and Hawaiian pizzas to their hearts' content. The entire time, Emma and Regina's phones were on loud in case Ivy or Henry contacted them with any updates. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you looked at it, their phones remained silent.

oOoOo

A couple of days passed, and it was finally Lennie's eighth birthday and Christmas Eve. Cora had hung the birthday banner up in the living room and a pile of presents were piled in front of the fireplace. Regina had gone a little crazy on the present front as she wanted to spoil her daughter for the first birthday that she spent with her, but she hadn't wanted to go too out there because of Christmas the next day. They tried to keep her mind off of Sophia who had been meant to join them later with Ivy, but now neither of them would be in attendance.

Lennie had rushed into Emma and Regina's bedroom as soon as she had woken up. She was still dressed in her pyjamas and her hair was tied up in a ponytail, a little messy from sleep. Her chocolate brown eyes were bright and wide with excitement and her lips upturned into a huge grin.

"Moms! It's my birthday!"

Emma heard a groan from beside her, clearly Regina had still been asleep when their bedroom door was blasted open, unlike the blonde who had heard Lennie coming. She'd already been braced for the incoming tornado who was now climbing onto the bed. The two had also remembered to put some pyjamas on before they went to bed, knowing this would happen and they hadn't wanted to scar their daughter on her birthday.

"Really?" Emma asked. "I thought it was last year?"

Lennie giggled. "Noooo!"

"Your birthday wasn't last year either?" Emma continued her charade as she enjoyed winding her daughter up, the fact it was her birthday didn't matter.

"Momma, noooo! It was my birthday last year but it's also my birthday today! I'm eight!"

"Oooooh!" Emma gasped as she pretended that everything had finally clicked. "That's right. You were seven last year!"

"Exactly!" Lennie cheered before looking to the right. "Mom, are you awake? It's my birthday!"

Slowly, Regina sat up beside the blondes. "I am," she confirmed with a yawn. "It takes me a little longer to wake up than you two. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Lennie just laughed, still grinning. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Anything the birthday girl wants, she gets!" Emma said. "Let's get moving. There may be some things in the living room waiting for you!"

If it were at all possible, Lennie's grin grew even wider and her eyes shone even more brightly. "YAY!"

"Don't open anything until we're there!" Emma called to her daughter's retreating back, but it was too late. Lennie had already jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, heading towards the living room. Once she was gone, Emma turned to Regina.

"We should probably get in there before she causes havoc," she joked.

Instead of replying at first, Regina simply leant in and kissed the blonde sweetly. Emma deepened the kiss as always, never able to keep their kisses chaste. Their tongues were just about to brush when they heard a shout of, "Moms, hurry up!"

Instead, Emma pulled back with a chuckle. "Let's go."

The two then got out of bed and headed into the living room. When they entered, they saw Lennie sitting beside the pile of presents. The pile was slightly differently shaped that Emma remember putting out the night before, but nothing had been opened yet, so Lennie had been listening.

"Breakfast first?" Emma asked.

"Mom, please!" Lennie requested.

"We should wait for your grandparents at least," Regina suggested.

"No need," said another voice as Cora and Rumple headed into the room.

Cora was wearing her dressing gown, but Rumple was already dressed. Emma wasn't sure if she ever wanted to see the Dark One wearing anything less that jeans and a shirt. A dressing gown was definitely out of the question.

Now that everyone was in the living room, Lennie turned to her mothers.

"Can I start opening now? Please?" She added at Regina's raised eyebrow.

"Yes, honey," Regina confirmed and Lennie squealed in excitement.

The adults moved to sit on the sofas around her and watch as she ripped open present after present. There was no particular order that she attacked them, mixing up who purchased what to the point where Emma got a little confused herself.

Within ten minutes, there was a pile of scraps, which she realised Regina had been subtly magicking together after every parcel was open, and another with her new belongings.

So far, she had received a set of new colouring pencils and pens so that she could let out her creative side. Since moving, they only had access to a few pencils that Emma had found in a draw. She'd also received a sketch book that she could draw in. Both items had been gifts from Emma.

Regina had bought her a teddy bear that was soft and cuddly which Lennie already had in her lap. She also bought her clothes and a new pyjama set which she was already excited to wear.

Cora had knitted her a matching set of gloves, a hat and scarf, the latter was already wrapped over he shoulders, in a dark cream colour which complimented Lennie's black winter coat. She was going to look adorable in them all together.

Her final birthday present, as she would be receiving more the next day, was from Rumple. She picked up the parcel and glanced at her grandfather when she realised how heavy it was. Slowly, she unravelled the wrapping and frowned in confusion.

"An old book?" She asked.

Rumple chuckled. "That isn't any old book. Open it."

Lennie followed the instruction and Regina gasped when she realised what it was. It seemed to hit Lennie what it was at the same time.

"A magic book?"

Rumple nodded. "Every aspiring sorceress needs her very own magic book. This is the very same that I used to teach your grandmother, mother and auntie."

Lennie started to get excited but Emma's excitement at watching her daughter open her presents shattered as soon as she saw the book.

She turned to Rumple, and the room turned cold. "You want to teach her dark magic?!"


	35. Chapter 35

The room was silent as Emma stared at the Dark One. Neither Cora nor Regina wanted to get involved just yet, knowing Emma needed to hear the answer.

"It's not dark magic," Rumple explained quickly. "The book itself isn't. My methods for teaching everyone was dark, yes, but that was my interpretation back then. Magic is in the interpretation. You are purely good. Cora and Regina are now good hence the current interpretation will be too. Emma, I would never inflict pain upon my granddaughter. You know that."

Emma visibly relaxed at the explanation. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright," Rumple murmured.

Lennie then jumped back into the conversation. "Can I have some pancakes now that I've opened my presents?"

Everyone then let out a small laugh. Lennie's love of food could always break any tension in the room.

Emma then took it upon herself to be in charge of preparing the pancakes as she wanted to distract herself from what had just gone on. Despite spending the last three months getting to know Rumple through his relationship with Cora, it seemed the trust still wasn't as secure as she believed when it came to the possibilities of dark magic.

Part way through prepping the batter, Regina entered the kitchen area. She pulled out two frying pans so that they could cook the pancakes quicker and started heating them up.

"Are you alright?" She asked the blonde quietly.

Emma started pouring the batter into the pans before she sighed. "Yeah. I'm fine. I guess I still don't trust Rumple as much as I thought."

Regina frowned. "How so?"

The blonde hesitated. She shook the pans to make sure the pancakes weren't sticking before she turned to the brunette beside her.

"I guess it's just the Dark One that still lingers," Emma murmured quietly. "I mean, I'm not the Dark One anymore, but because I didn't die for it to pass on, a little still lingers. It makes me a little untrustworthy to the current Dark One. I don't want to be because I know he's trying to be good for our family, but I don't know."

Regina reached out and squeezed Emma's hand softly. "It'll get better."

Emma smiled softly before concentration once more on the pancakes, making sure that they didn't burn.

Ten minutes later, the family were digging into the food with Lennie chattering away at how exciting it was to be turning eight. Emma tried to keep the conversation with Rumple light so long as they made sure the keep the topic away from magic.

However, that all changed once they were finished and the pots were clean. Lennie picked up her new magic book and headed over to her grandparents.

"Can I have a lesson, please?" She asked politely. Her lips were spread into a large grin.

Rumple exchanged a hesitant look with Cora before glancing at Emma. The blonde was a little hesitant but when she glanced at her daughter and saw her excitement, she knew she couldn't say no. She nodded, curtly, before taking a seat back on the sofa, her arm wrapped around Regina as they watched.

Lennie was already advanced for her age so Rumple was having to find more advanced spells to teacher her that would challenge but not frustrate her. He also needed to make sure that they weren't too advanced.

The birthday girl was thoroughly enjoying herself. After every spell, her grin would grow when she succeeded or falter slightly if she was struggling. However, each time Rumple went to suggest another way to tackle the spell, Lennie would master it perfectly.

The three hours she was wielding her magic, she'd managed to duplicate the pillows on the sofa, levitate items across the room and even made a small flower appear in her hand before it started to grow. It turned into a daisy which grew to the size of a sunflower, it was beautiful.

By lunch time, she was still thrilled but growing tired.

"I think I'm done with magic now," she said as she flopped back onto the sofa.

"I'm not surprised, monkey," Emma chuckled. "That was some impressing magic!"

Lennie grinned again. "When can I start learning how to poof?"

"Not yet," Regina answered before Emma could speak. "Not until you're sixteen, at least!"

At that, Lennie's brow furrowed. "But Mooooom!"

"No buts," Regina said, a small chuckle in her voice at Lennie's tone before becoming serious once more. "It's too dangerous. Concentrate on everything else for now. I will teach you myself when you're old enough."

With Regina's promise, Lennie grinned. Regina had yet to give her daughter a magic lesson. Not because she didn't want to, but she didn't want to overcrowd her with teachers, knowing Cora and Emma were her main teachers but Zelena had given lessons in the past. Now Rumple was also helping her. There would be too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak.

Part way through the magic lesson, Cora had started prepping the buffet lunch they were having for Lennie's birthday. She used a little bit of magic here and there, but mostly she was just chopping and mixing. She'd made several types of sandwiches, chicken, cheese, ham and egg. There was also a large salad and different types of crisps. Along with that, there were also mini sausage rolls which were Lennie's favourite.

Then for dessert, Cora had prepared a selection of muffins, some blueberry and some chocolate and raspberry, the latter of which Emma was a fan, alongside some strawberry jelly. The final item on the menu was Lennie's birthday cake. It was a two-tiered chocolate cake with a hand drawn pattern of birds, including penguins and flamingos. When it was revealed that Rumple had been the one to draw the pattern, Emma was rather shocked. But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Lennie was going to love it. Which she did.

There was then a knock on the door. Emma stood up and to answer, smiling as she saw the guests. Well, one of them at least.

"Hey, Zee," she greeted with a smile before nodding towards the other one. "Vicky."

Victoria didn't even comment at the name, simply rolling her eyes as she entered alongside Zelena.

"Auntie Zee!" Lennie cried as she heard the greeting. She shot off the sofa and ran towards the redhead, throwing her arms around her waist.

"Happy birthday, my darling niecey-poo!" Zelena said with a grin, hugging her niece back with vigour. "Did your mommies give you everything you asked for?"

Lennie nodded. "Yep! And Grandpa got me a magic book!"

Zelena looked towards Rumple with her eyebrow raised but she quickly shook it off. She could ask questions about it later.

"Want to know what I got you?"

Lennie grinned broadly. "Yes!"

With a smile, Zelena passed over her large parcel. "Just be careful with it," she cautioned.

The parcel was wrapped in emerald green paper with a lighter green ribbon wrapped around it. It was so delicately wrapped that Emma knew in a second that Zelena hadn't been the one to do it.

However, Lennie didn't care about that. She simply pulled off the ribbon and ripped open the parchment. As soon as it was unwrapped, Lennie gasped.

"This is amazing!"

The present was a photo frame that was made up of six different photos which Zelena had already filled. The top photo showed Emma and Lennie when she was barely a week old. Zelena had snapped up a picture of the two just after Lennie had been fed. She was tiny and wrapped up in blankets as Wonderland was covered in snow.

The second photo was of Lennie when she was four with a six-year-old Robbie. The two were grinning at the camera with their arms around each other, both clearly loving life. That was the only photo of Robbie in the photo frame as the others were taken more recently. The next was of Lennie and Zelena just after she was awoken. Another was Lennie and her grandparents, the girl sat in between the two, all grinning brightly at the camera.

As Regina glanced at the photo frame, she beamed at the next photo. It was of her and Lennie, taken about four weeks ago. They were in the park with Regina pushing Lennie on the swing. Regina was wrapped up warm in her coat, but Lennie was just in a thick jumper as the cold didn't really bother her. Emma had once joked that Lennie was actually Elsa's daughter instead of hers. Regina simply rolled her eyes, stating that she didn't recall sleeping with the Ice Queen and the fact that Emma had been pregnant proved that she was the one to carry the baby.

The final photo was of Lennie and her mothers. All three were sitting on the sofa, but none of them were actually looking at the camera. Cora had sneakily taken it a few weeks ago during movie night. They were watching Mary Poppins, introducing Lennie to the original. The penguins had just come on and were dancing with Burt and the three were laughing at it. Lennie loved all birds and penguins were no exception.

After looking at all the pictures, Lennie looked back up at her auntie. "I love it. Thank you!"

Gently, she passed it over to Regina before hugging her auntie once more. She then glanced at the clock and then at the door before turning to her mothers.

"When will Ivy be here?" She asked. "I'm getting kinda hungry and don't want to start before she gets here."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other. Neither really knew how to approach it as they knew that Ivy was unlikely to show.

However, much to everyone's surprise, there was a quiet knock on the door. Again, Emma headed over and opened up so that the birthday girl could see the new arrival.

"Ivy!"

Lennie rushed over and wrapped her arms around the brunette.

"Happy birthday, honey!" Ivy said, pressing a kiss on her head. She completely ignored the fact that her mother was in the room, giving all of her attention to the birthday girl. "How does it feel being eight?"

"Amazing!" She replied with a grin before frowning slightly. "How's Soph?"

"She's the same," Ivy said with a sigh. "But I don't want to ruin your birthday with that. I got you something."

Ivy the pulled out a small box from her handbag. It was just as delicately wrapped as Zelena's showing that Ivy had clearly inherited her mother's skill.

Just like she had earlier, the delicacy clearly wasn't important to Lennie as she ripped into the parcel. Once the paper was off, she was left with a small box. She pulled the lid off and gasped.

"This is beautiful!" She showed the gift to her mothers, her eyes gleaming with happiness.

Inside the box was a delicate silver necklace with two charms on the bottom. There was a small red stone, a garnet for Lennie's star sign of Capricorn. The second charm was a small L for Lennie's nickname.

The gift was so personal that Regina started tearing up, her emotions running high. "This is so thoughtful, Ivy."

Ivy smiled bashfully. "I saw something similar on Instagram when I was scrolling at the hospital the other day. As soon as I saw it, I knew she'd love it."

"Can you put it on me, please?" Lennie asked, holding the box towards her mothers.

Regina picked it up and took it towards Lennie. As usual, her long blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail so she was able to flick it over her shoulder so she could see the clasp. Once it was fastened, she let Lennie's hair hang down her back again.

"Are you staying for lunch?" Regina asked Ivy but she shook her head.

"I just wanted to drop that off on my way to the hospital," she replied. "Henry's at work and I don't want her to be alone for long."

"We'll drop in tomorrow," Emma said. "Christmas is about family."

"Yeah, I want to see my niece!" Lennie piped up.

Ivy glanced to the birthday girl before looking back up at Emma and Regina. Both seemed to understand the silent question without it being spoken.

"She found out after the accident," Emma revealed.

"So, we're like sisters?" Lennie said to Ivy.

Ivy chuckled. "Definitely." She then grew serious and glanced at the clock. "I should get going."

"At least grab some food before you go," Regina said, ever the mother.

"Alright," Ivy conceded, though she didn't need much persuasion. She grabbed a few sandwiches and put them in a box that Cora provided before she headed to the door.

"Give Soph our love," Emma requested.

"I will!"

Ivy opened the door and was just about to head out when Victoria finally spoke. She called out her daughter's name but the only response she had, was the door slamming shut.

The room was briefly silent in the aftermath before Lennie pipped up once more. "Can I have some food now? I'm staaaarving!"

oOoOo

All in all, Lennie had a rather good birthday, if Emma said so herself. She loved all the food that Cora had provided, Emma was also a fan, and the visit from Ivy had made everything better. Even the slight awkwardness of Victoria being there hadn't affected anything until after Lennie had gone to bed.

It wasn't surprising that Zelena had stayed the entire day, they were used to that. Lennie loved having her auntie there, the two got on like a house on fire as always. Emma was just a little unsure as to why that meant that Victoria needed to stay. Surely, she had other things to do?

However, it was all revealed once Emma and Regina came back from tucking Lennie into bed. It took longer to get her to sleep at that point after all the sugar and cake she'd eaten. Somehow, she'd managed to sneak two muffins despite only asking permission for one and she'd eaten a large slab of cake. It was more surprising that she hadn't vomited everywhere.

After she'd fallen asleep, cuddling the teddy that Regina had bought her who had been named Chip as he was the same colour as chocolate chips apparently, Emma and Regina quietly snuck out of the room to join the others. Now that Lennie was asleep, Zelena had brought out a bottle of wine and split it between five glasses on the table.

Regina eyed the wine with longing. She hadn't realised how often she drank before she fell pregnant. She didn't drink it in large quantities, but what she thought was a small cider or wine on the odd evening actually turned out to be every couple of nights. With a sigh, she sat down and picked up the orange juice that Zelena had poured for her instead.

"Thank you for making Lennie's birthday so special," Emma said, glancing to everyone in the room, well aside from Victoria. She then looked at Rumple. "And I'm sorry for doubting you."

Rumple smiled softly. "I understand. Dark Ones don't trust others very well."

Emma understood that he was meaning; Dark Ones don't trust other Dark Ones. Despite the way Rumple had retrieved the Darkness once more, Emma was rather relieved that there was another Dark One still around if she ever needed to ask a question. The Darkness in her was practically all but gone, but the memory of it still burned deep.

"I'm just glad she likes the photos," Zelena said to change the topic. "I was a little apprehensive to include Robyn with what was going on, but then I realised that it's Len's birthday so she should be included too."

Emma reached out and squeezed Zelena's knee softly. "We'll get her back. Don't worry." She then paused for a second before a thought came to her. "How is everything going between her and Tilly?"

"Well," Zelena said but she sighed. "But I know for a fact that they've kissed, I don't want to know if they've done any more…" Her eyes widened at the idea of it. Sure, she could tease Emma and Regina, even Cora and Rumple, to no end about their sex lives, but that was one thing she never wanted to discuss with her daughter. As long as it was safe, she didn't care. "But the curse hasn't broken. They're still very much Margot and Tilly, not Robyn and Alice. It's getting frustrating now."

Victoria bit her lip before she put her glass on the table. "I have some news to share," she murmured. "I wanted to tell everyone at the same time, but with Ivy not talking to me, I wanted to wait but I can't anymore."

Regina felt Emma tense beside her and the hand that was resting on her thigh started to squeeze in anticipation. The brunette had to rest her hand on top of the blonde's gently to try and calm her down. The pressure on her thigh stopped, but Emma didn't look her way.

"After leaving the hospital, I went to find Jacinda," Victoria revealed. "I wanted it to look like I cared what happened to Gothel after the attack," she added when Emma started to glare at her. "They were back at Gothel's apartment already. J had called the fairies to help instead of taking her to the hospital. Gothel was still sleeping, but the wound was closed. She'll be back to normal any day."

"That's lovely," Emma snarked. "Now can you share the news instead of giving us an unnecessary update on Gothel."

Zelena glared at Emma as she always did when the blonde used that tone towards her partner. Emma didn't apologise and stood her ground. She simply waited for Victoria to continue.

After another sip of her wine, Victoria did so. "I decided to try and ask Jacinda more about the curse. Telling her that the more I know, the more I could protect it, right? So she told me a little more. Using the familial blood is the key to keeping it unbreakable. While your family is separated, it can't be broken. The only way to break it, would be for the family to know they're family, or at least, most of the members to know. Margot and Tilly won't wake up with True Love's Kiss because they're not family, just like Emma didn't wake up Regina."

"So, what you're saying is the True Love weaved into this curse can only be broken by a family member that believes in True Love?" Rumple asked, trying to clarify what was meant. "I'm sure Ivy will have kissed her daughter by now to try and it hasn't worked."

"Then we need to wake Henry," Emma said. "Wake him and then both he and Ivy can kiss Sophia to wake her. There's nothing stronger than the True Love of parents who adore each other and their child. This Henry loves his daughter yes, but he's still a little angry at Ivy. Wake him and then his love for both Ivy and Sophia will be back and so will having the heart of the truest believer! We need to wake Henry."

Emma glanced around the room, trying to assess the reactions. She thought everyone would be excited as her, but everyone looked back rather apprehensively.

"We can't wake him," Regina said sadly. "His heart would kill him in seconds from being around Ivy and Sophia."

However, that wasn't stopping Emma now. She was determined that this would be the fix. She looked at Cora and Rumple.

"You were working on a potion to fix his heart," she stated. "How far have you got with it?"

"It's still in its early days," Cora admitted. "Without fully knowing what curse was used, we can't figure out how to cure it. Some poisons worsen when the wrong antidote is used. We're trying, Em. We really are."

The phrase, "try harder," was on the tip of her tongue, but she knew she couldn't use it. Instead, she turned to Victoria.

"Find out what curse they used," Emma all but demanded. "Say you want to know how your husband was killed. They used the same curse on him as they did with Henry." She realised that she was being a little harsh when Victoria let out a strangled noise regarding her husband's death. "I'm sorry," she added. "I just need my son back and you're the only one who can help us. I know you're risking a lot, but it'll work out in the end."

Victoria swallowed before nodding. "I'll try my best."

Emma flashed her a small smile. "That's all we ask."

The conversation grew less heavy after that as they discussed what they wanted to do for Christmas dinner the next day. As part of her cover, Victoria had to spend it with Jacinda, but she was going to work on Emma's request while she was there. Cora had even given her a small phial of her truth potion to slip into Gothel and Jacinda's drinks so she could try and get even more information out of them.

Zelena wanted to spend Christmas with both her family and daughter, but she didn't want to upset Lennie on Christmas Day. So, it was with a rather heavy heart that she said she wouldn't be spending Christmas with them but would pop over on Boxing Day when Margot was with Tilly.

During the decision making, Emma realised that Regina was stifling her yawns. It was impressive that she'd even made it to half past ten. Usually she had already been asleep for at least half an hour by then. When Regina yawned for the sixth time in a row, Emma called it and said that they needed to go to bed.

Their guests made their leave, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas before they left, and Cora and Emma quickly waved their hands so that it looked like Santa had appeared. Four small piles of presents grew out of nowhere and a final pile landed on the last sofa which was larger than the rest as it was for Lennie.

Once that was done, the four of them headed towards their rooms and shut the doors behind them. Emma and Regina slipped into bed with the blonde opening her arm. Regina didn't even hesitate before snuggling into Emma's embrace, pressing a soft kiss above her breast.

"Today reminded me of Henry's thirteenth birthday," Regina mumbled.

"The first one we actually spent together?" Emma replied.

Regina nodded. "When we didn't make him have a morning at one house and the afternoon at the other."

Emma chuckled quietly. "I know where you're coming from. He understood why he had to do that for his others." She shuffled so she could raise her eyebrow at the brunette. "His mom didn't like me in the slightest."

"Could you imagine how different everything would have been if we'd realised that the strong feelings we felt for each other weren't hate?" Regina asked quietly. "We could have been together for years and avoided so much."

Emma sighed. "There's no point dwelling on the past, honey, we're together now and it's Christmas." She then chuckled quietly as a thought came to her. "You know the Christmas song, the twelve days of Christmas?"

Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the swerve in conversation, but she nodded.

"Well I added a new verse," Emma revealed. Regina's confusion just deepened making Emma chuckle again before she starting to sing. "On the day before Christmas, my true love gave to me, a daughter who I called Lennie." She smiled when Regina finally grinned. "If we've been together all of those years, I wouldn't be able to sing that, would I?"

"You're an idiot," Regina said affectionately before she sealed their lips together in a soft kiss. "But I believe my true love gave me a daughter called Lennie and another one on the way who I'm very excited to meet."

Finally, Regina willingly admitted that she was excited to meet their baby. The fear was still there, but the excitement was finally grated that the fear.

"Merry Christmas, my love," Emma whispered.

"Merry Christmas, darling."


	36. Chapter 36

When Emma awoke the next morning, she wanted to give Regina the best start to Christmas morning she could think of. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was just after half past six. They had agreed with Lennie the night before that she couldn't enter her mothers' room until after half past seven at the earliest. So, Emma had at least an hour before that happened.

She knew that Regina wasn't a morning person, but then she knew she'd never say no to what Emma was about to do. Smirking, Emma slipped down the bed until she was hovering over Regina's sex. Softly, she pressed a kiss upon her hairless pubis before slightly nudging her legs apart. She gently grazed her teeth where her thighs met her sex, immediately soothing the nip with her tongue.

Regina groaned in her sleep at the sensation. Emma thought that she had woken up at first, but after a short pause, she realised she was still very much a sleep. She then shuffled a fraction forward before she wrapped her lips around Regina's already protruding clit. It slipped between her lips easily and began suckling softly, feeling the wetness build up under her chin. She let go of Regina's clit with a pop before allowing her tongue to lick through the ample juices that had gathered since she started. She flicked her tongue over the quivering hole.

"Oh god, Emma!"

So, the brunette was finally awake. Emma smirked into her sex as she felt Regina's hand slip into her hair. She had been hesitant at first, not wanting Emma to feel forced into anything. After they had been together for a couple of months, Regina had brought it up, saying she enjoyed doing it, but didn't want to pressure the blonde. They had worked up slowly from a couple of fingers to two hands and now Emma was absolutely fine with it.

Regina weaved her fingers into Emma's hair and pushed her further in that Emma was finding it a little difficult to breathe but she was completely fine with that. She settled her lips around Regina's clit once more, sucking rapidly to the point where her jaw was about to ache, but she continued as she felt the tell-tale signs of Regina's orgasm approaching.

"Emma!" Regina cried as she fell over the edge.

Emma continued her ministrations but gently slowed them down, allowing Regina to ride out her orgasm. She pressed another soft kiss on to Regina's pubis before kissing her way up her body. She'd just made it so that she was face to face with Regina. She opened her mouth to say something, but Regina swallowed whatever she was about to say in a kiss.

Suddenly, Emma found herself lying on her back, gazing up at the brunette, their lips still locked together. Their kiss was passionate, teeth nipped lips and tongues soothed the pain. Emma tried to roll them over again, but Regina was using all of her strength to keep her down. She kissed down Emma's neck, sucking harshly on her pulse point, before nibbling on her earlobe, adoring the sounds Emma was making.

Regina trailed her hand teasingly down Emma's body until two fingertips brushed Emma's sensitive clit.

"Fuck!"

Smirking, Regina repeated her actions, brushing her fingertips ever so gently over her clit, enjoying the way the blonde quivered beneath her.

"Ginny, please!" Emma begged as she bucked her hips against Regina's hand, trying to get more pressure where she needed her.

"Please what?" Regina teased. As much as she adored actions, she loved hearing Emma say what she wanted when she was turned on. Her voice dripped with sex and need and it always sent shivers to her core.

"Fuck me," Emma responded with a groan in her voice.

Instead of putting Emma out of her misery, she took one finger away, brushing only her forefinger against her clit.

"Ginny!"

Emma frustration was growing and it was music to Regina's ears. She opened her two fingers and nipped Emma's clit between them sharply. A small punishment for not answering her question properly.

"Please what?" Regina repeated, smirking heavily. "How do you want me to fuck you?" She swirled her finger around Emma's clit. "Like this?" She slipped her fingers through her folds and dipped one finger in, one knuckled deep. "Or this?" She allowed her finger, now completely coated in Emma's juices, further down, swirling around her rosebud. "Or here?"

Emma groaned. "I need you inside me," she hissed out, her hips bucking against Regina's hand. "Please, Ginny. I'll do anything."

Now that was a sentence Regina loved to hear. "Anything? I'll hold you to that."

Before Emma could respond, Regina slipped two fingers inside her, curling them immediately, her palm brushing against her clit. She concentrated against the spot that sent Emma wild and recommenced nibbling her ear. It wasn't surprising that Emma came a minute later with Regina's name on her tongue.

Like Emma had previously, Regina allowed her to ride out her orgasm, slowly pulling her fingers out before slipping them back in. She kissed back up her jaw until their lips were together. This time, their kisses were gentle, their tongues tangling teasingly.

"Merry Christmas," Emma whispered.

"Merry Christmas," Regina replied. She kissed her once more before leaning back. "Now, I believe you said you'd do anything." She smirked when Emma looked a fraction worried. "Don't worry, you'll enjoy this. Shuffle down a fraction."

Emma raised her eyebrow but did as Regina requested. She slipped a little down the bed so that her head was resting just under the pillows. As gracefully as she could, Regina shuffled up the bed before turning to face away from the blonde. This confused Emma even more. However, when she carefully threw her leg over the blonde's face, everything clicked.

Regina slowly lowered herself over Emma's face before leaning down until their cores and faces were even. Neither hesitated before wrapping their lips around the other's clit, sucking powerfully as if trying to race each other to the end.

Hands were quickly introduced as Emma slipped two fingers inside the brunette, despite the slightly awkward angle, while the other and squeezed Regina's cheeks. She even grew brave enough to slap her once. The moan that vibrated around her clit showed her that the brunette enjoyed it. They weren't big on BDSM but liked to introduce small things in here and there. She slapped her once more, a fraction harder before concentrating once more on her clit.

Regina had also introduced her finger but slightly differently to the blonde. She coated her right index finger in Emma's juices before returning it to Emma's rosebud. She swirled it around several times, moistening it up before she slipped her finger slightly inside. When she felt Emma sigh into her sex, she pressed it one more before moving her hand completely away. Quickly, she released Emma's clit and licked her way through Emma's sopping folds, swallowing everything down before her tongue was just below where her finger had been.

Gently, she started lapping at Emma's rosebud, groaning when she felt it relaxing under her tongue. Within seconds she was able to dip her tongue inside. When she did, she felt a sudden nip to her clit as Emma clearly hadn't been expecting the intrusion, but it just encouraged Regina further, slipping her tongue deeper before bringing her fingers up to Emma's clit, swirling around it with the pads of her fingers.

Emma slapped Regina's ass once more which caused her to fall over the edge, screaming her orgasm into Emma's ass before Emma came too with a flow of curses and Regina's name escaping her.

Carefully, Regina slipped from resting on top of the blonde before she managed to find enough energy to crawl back up to Emma's side.

"Now that is definitely one way to start Christmas," she sighed happily, her eyes sparkling in delight. She went to roll over and kiss the blonde, but Emma moved her hand until it was resting against Regina's lips.

"I would kiss you after anything, but not after where that mouth has just been," she explained making the brunette chuckle.

Regina blushed before waving her hand over her mouth to clean it as she didn't want to move. "Better?"

Emma grinned. "Definitely." She then wasted no time in sealing their lips together, along their tongues to tangle once more.

The two lost themselves in sweet kisses, caressing each other's body until they heard incoming footsteps and an excited giggle heading toward the door. Quickly, Emma flicked her wrist and the two were dressed just in time for the door to fly open.

"Moms! It's Christmas!" Lennie yelled as she ran towards the bed.

It seemed that even though the day before had been dedicated to Lennie opening presents, she was ridiculously excited to be repeating the day. However, she also enjoyed watching her family open their presents too.

"Merry Christmas, monkey!" Emma cried back, opening her arms wide to accept her daughter who was heading towards them at a rapid speed.

Regina glanced at the clock on the bedside table and chuckled. It was seven thirty on the dot. Her time keeping was impeccable.

The brunette was pulled out of herself when she heard a loud giggle. Looking over, she saw that Emma was tickling their daughter.

"Mommy, help!"

Regina chuckled. "Em, leave her be."

Emma ceased her tickling with a chuckle. She bopped her daughter on the nose which brought another light giggle out of her.

"Shall we go see if Santa came?" Emma asked.

Lennie rolled her eyes. "Mom, I'm eight, do you really think I still believe in Santa?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "You believe that one mother is the Saviour and the other used to be the Evil Queen? That your auntie is the Wicked Witch of the West and your grandmother was the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, but you don't believe in Santa Claus?"

Lennie giggled when Emma started to tickle her once more, her laughter filling the room, providing a warmth in the air on that cold, wintery morning.

"Mommy!"

"Emma," Regina sighed, raising her eyebrow at the pair. "You're going to wake up Mother."

Emma scoffed. "They've probably been awake for hours." She waggled her eyebrows making Regina shove her lightly.

"Don't even joke about that"

Emma simply chuckled but she stopped tickling her daughter. "So, Miss I-don't-believe-in-Santa-Claus-anymore, shall we see if there are any presents waiting?"

Lennie grinned and jumped off the bed. She grabbed onto her mothers' hands. "Let's go!"

"Honey, slow down!" Regina requested as she slipped out the bed behind her daughter.

"Sorry!" Lennie stopped pulling immediately, worried that she'd hurt her mother if she continued. She laced her fingers with her mothers and waited for Emma to climb out of bed too before she calmly walked towards the living room.

Emma and Regina flashed each other a smile, ridiculously proud of their daughter.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw that they weren't the first to enter. Cora and Rumple were already in the kitchen. Rumple was manning breakfast as he prepared piles of toast and mugs of tea while Cora was putting the turkey in the oven ready for their dinner. Despite Regina's comments when they had been planning Christmas day stating that putting the turkey in the oven at seven was far too early, Cora had ignored that. She wanted a crispy yet succulent bird, so she was blasting it in the oven for close to an hour before turning it low. By the time dinner came around, it was going to be deliciously crispy and juicy all at one.

When they heard the three entering, Cora turned around and smiled brightly. "Merry Christmas!"

Lennie dropped her mothers' hands and ran over to her grandmother, wrapping her arms around her. "Merry Christmas, Grandma!" She pulled back and then hugged Rumple. "And you, Grandpa!"

Rumple leant down and kissed her head. "Merry Christmas, dear. Breakfast?"

Lennie nodded emphatically before sitting down at the table. Five minutes later, they were digging into toast but with many toppings. The adults were drinking tea and Lennie was drinking milk. Despite toast seeming a little bit lack lustre for Christmas morning, it had always been tradition to start the day off with something simple as they would be eating many a treat during the day.

Once breakfast was over, it was time to open presents once more. Lennie ran to her pile and was ripping into parcel after parcel, unwrapping more clothes and toys than she'd ever need but every squeal over them was worth it. She was also given several Roald Dahl books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda. Regina had raised her eyebrow at the latter choice, not wanting Lennie to become quite as mischievous as the protagonist, but Emma had just chuckled and told her to relax.

Rumple only had a few gifts. There was the typical bottle of bourbon from the guys at work and then Cora had purchased him a few trinkets. She got him some new clothes and aftershave along with a new watch which he immediately put on, grinning brightly.

Cora had a few more gifts as Regina, Zelena and Emma had wanted to spoil their mother. They decided to match their gifts with Zelena buying her a silver necklace with an amethyst pendant to match her magic. Regina had purchased the corresponding earrings and Emma the bracelet. As Cora opened the gifts one after the other, she grew overwhelmed with tears forming. She jumped from the sofa and pulled Emma and Regina into her arms, hugging them tightly.

"You two and Zelena are the greatest gifts on earth," she said as she pulled back.

"What about me?" Lennie asked.

Cora chuckled. "You are too, sweetheart."

Lennie grinned before going back to her presents.

Emma and Regina had agreed to keep things simple, but both of them had decided to go against their promise. Not that that was particularly a surprise. It was their first holiday together and both wanted to out-romance the other one.

Regina struggled a little when she started looking into presents. Not because she didn't know what to get the blonde, but because she didn't want to get anything that meant Hyperion Heights was their permanent home. In actual fact, she had seen an exact replica of Emma's yellow Bug parked at a garage when she was heading to work a few weeks before Christmas. She'd wanted to buy it there and then, but she didn't want to give the blonde the idea that she needed a car because they were staying in Seattle for a long time. Plus, she wouldn't need two yellow cars when they were back in Storybrooke.

So that idea was out. Instead, she looked into other gifts. The first was a delicate silver bracelet that was four thin strands that intertwined together and finished with two charms. A swan and a crown.

"For SwanQueen, our ship name," Regina said with a chuckle. "According to Henry's book anyway."

Emma simply grinned and kissed her girlfriend a fraction too passionately to be in the same room as her parents and their daughter. Rumple had to clear his throat which caused the two to pulled back with a flush on their faces.

As well as the bracelet, Regina had also purchased her a new leather jacket but this one was tan, not red, and had a woollen lining so that she could wear it in the winter and stop freezing just because she wanted to look cool.

The final gift was a new pair of headphones that she could wear when she went on her morning run. She had neglected going recently because it was cold and rather snowy.

Emma had found gift shopping for Regina as easy as she had for their daughter. The first gift was a new perfume, she'd splashed on a Yves Saint Laurent one she knew Regina had owned in Storybrooke, but it wasn't really Roni's cup of tea. However, Regina's grin was enough to prove that she'd missed the scent and she spritzed it on herself immediately.

The second gift was one that Emma had to quickly warn her to open discreetly. Regina rolled her eyes as she opened the box to reveal a deep red lace teddy. It was rather beautiful and she was already excited to wear it, but she quickly hid it away when Lennie glanced up to see what her mothers had got.

She also purchased her a pair of leather gloves as she always complained of cold hand when they were outside but could never be bothered to buy a pair of her own.

The last gift was similar to what Zelena had purchased Lennie for her birthday. It was a wooden photo frame and inside was her screensaver, the photo Zelena had sneakily taken of the two as they smiled lovingly at each other. The frame was engraved with E & R and a heart. It was beautiful.

"You're amazing," Regina sighed happily as she pulled Emma in for another soft kiss. "Absolutely amazing."

Cora had decided to give all of her daughters the same so that there were no arguments, despite them being adults. She had given them all a dressing gown, but one to correspond to their likes and personality and a pair of slippers to match.

For Zelena, it was, of course, emerald green and satin. It would stop just past her knees. The slippers were a Moccasins in a tartan green pattern to match her dressing gown. Regina's dressing gown was black velvet with slippers to match the fabric.

Emma, on the other hand, had been given a fluffy cream gown with slipper boots to match. The woman was always complaining of the apartment being too cold, even when the heating was on full blast, so Cora had decided the thicker the better. She immediately slipped it on and almost moaned with delight.

Amongst all the items, everyone had also been given a hefty amount of chocolate that had been piled up on the coffee table for everyone to share. Lennie had been reluctant to share her chocolate coins, so she was allowed to keep them.

Once all the presents were open, it was time to start watching the first Christmas movie, starting with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Lennie loved it, part way through she flicked her wrist and her ponytail transformed into Cindy-Lou's hair style and her nose shrunk to her button nose. Emma took one look at her daughter and burst out laughing.

"Great look there, monkey!" She gasped out between chuckles. "You should rock that all the time."

Lennie laughed before flicking her wrist once more and she let her hair hang down around her shoulders. Her thick yet soft curls finished midway down her back, a perfect combination of both her mother's genes. Emma's colour and curl and Regina's thickness.

After they finished watching the Grinch grow a heart, they moved onto Elf which Lennie loved but Regina didn't particularly enjoy. She decided to help her mother out in the kitchen to prepare the vegetables while Lennie and Emma chuckled their way through in amongst explaining aspects to Rumple who found the whole thing rather baffling.

By the time the film came to an end, Cora and Regina were dishing up their Christmas Dinner. It was just after two and everyone was starving despite snacking on chocolate.

Rumple was given the duty to carve the turkey and Emma started piling her plate up with as many roast potatoes that she could get her hands on until Regina coughed and raised her eyebrow.

"That is far too many and there's not enough green on there."

Emma bit her lip nervously as she started slowly taking a couple of her potatoes off her plate and placing them onto Regina's. When the brunette coughed again, Emma sighed and took a few more off, sharing around the table before Regina started piling carrots, broccoli and parsnips onto her plate instead.

While the two were showing perfect domesticity, they didn't realise that Cora was watching them. She grinned knowing that the final gift she wanted to give Emma was definitely going to work.

The dinner was absolutely delicious to the point that the five of them flopped on the sofas, barely able to move or speak. Cora managed to flick her wrist to clean the dishes. There was still enough turkey left over for Cora to make her famous turkey curry that Emma absolutely adored.

They spent the afternoon recovering, this time watching The Holiday while Lennie started doing one of her jigsaws that Cora had given her on the coffee table. Regina leant on Emma's shoulder and the film had barely begun and she'd fallen asleep. Her quiet snores were the backing of the film.

Halfway through the film, Cora coughed quietly.

"Em, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Frowning, Emma nodded slowly. "Sure."

Slowly, she stood up and gently laid Regina down so that she was horizontal on the sofa before following Cora out of the living room and towards her bedroom. Cora went straight to her bedside table before moving towards the box at the bottom of her bed.

"Take a seat."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Am I in trouble or?"

Cora chuckled. "Of course not, sweetheart. I just have an extra gift to give you that I didn't want Regina to see."

Now that just heightened Emma's confusion even more.

Realising she shouldn't delay it any further, Cora handed over a small box. Emma looked at it for a second before opening it slowly. Inside was a beautiful white gold ring with a large princess cut diamond with a small ruby on either side. The band was encrusted in tiny diamonds. It was absolutely stunning.

"Cora, I–"

"This was the ring Henry gave me when he proposed," Cora explained, cutting off the blonde's confusion. "I added the rubies and encrusted the band so it was more Regina. You should propose."

Emma bit her lip. "We haven't been together that long and with the baby–"

"And that's why I think you should do it," Cora said, once more cutting Emma off. "Think about it, the baby would be born with married mothers. I'm not saying that being unmarried is bad, but I just think it would be more final."

"Mom, we can't get married before Henry wakes up," Emma said sadly. "I need my son at the wedding."

Despite her words, Cora smiled. "So you do want to marry her?"

Emma laughed softly. "Of course I want to marry her. I love and adore her. I just don't know if now is the right time for a wedding."

Cora reached out and took Emma's hand. "I think it's the perfect time. It would be the perfect distraction. It doesn't have to be big. We can have a big party when it's all over. And to be frank, I think Regina would prefer being married before the baby is born. She's a bit old school like that."

Again, Emma smiled before looking back at the ring in her hand. It screamed Regina and she knew she would love it because it came from the man she believed was her father.

However, before she could say anything, Cora stood up and started making her way to the door.

"It doesn't have to be today," she shrugged, "but sooner is better than later."

The door the shut softly behind her leaving her to her thoughts. She glanced back down at the ring and gently picked it up out of the box. She knew without a doubt that she wanted to propose; she wanted Regina to be her wife more than anything. It was more the becoming a wife again that she was hesitant about. As soon as Hook had put a ring on it, everything went to shit. She knew that would never happen with Regina, but there was a niggle at the back of her head that was hard to shake.

Yet as soon as the thought ran through her brain, another came to fight it.

_You love Regina more than you ever loved the pirate, _it told her, _you _can_ do this._

With the mental encouragement, Emma grinned and slipped the ring back into the box. She made a promise to herself that before the new year, the ring would be on Regina's finger. All she had to do now was figure out when to ask.


	37. Chapter 37

By the time New Year's Eve arrived, Emma was still walking around with the engagement ring box in her pocket and kept having to avoid Cora's questioning eyes. The matriarch kept coming up with reasons to see Regina's hand to check if she was wearing the ring, but every time, her hand literally came up empty.

After Emma headed back into the living room, Regina had woken up and had decided to start helping Lennie with her jigsaw before Emma said they should head to the hospital to see Sophia.

"Can I come?" Lennie asked as she looked up from her jigsaw which was only a few pieces away from being complete. However, Emma was a little hesitant because she didn't want to upset Lennie on a holiday.

She glanced over to Regina who subtly shook her head and Emma sighed.

"Not this time, monkey," Emma replied. She kissed Lennie's head softly. "We'll go again in a couple of days and you can come with us then."

Lennie looked like she was going to complain, but then her shoulders deflated in defeat. "Okay," she said rather sadly.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we can put on How to Train your Dragon on once they've left," Cora said knowing the film would cheer Lennie up as she adored Toothless.

At the suggestion, Lennie grinned, her sadness forgotten. "Yay!"

Emma and Regina then headed out to the hospital and it was definitely not the place to be proposing. As they entered and made their way up to Sophia's private room, the doctor who had tested Emma walked past them. He stopped when he recognised the blonde.

"Ah, Miss Swan, I was hoping to see you," he greeted. "I was going to call after the holidays."

The two stopped dead. "Oh?"

The doctor smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing worrying, in fact, it's good. You're a perfect match with Sophia. So, if the worst does happen," he bit his lip nervously, "can we contact you?"

Emma nodded emphatically. "Definitely. Just call whenever and I'll be right here."

"Great. Merry Christmas," he said before stating he needed to head off on his rounds.

"Merry Christmas," Emma replied before turning to Regina. "Well that's good then. I can help if it comes to the worst."

Regina smiled sadly and squeezed Emma's hand. "It's won't come to that."

They then continued down the corridor to Sophia's room and saw Ivy sitting beside her, reading what Emma recognised to be Henry's story book to her.

"Hey," Regina greeted quietly as if trying not to wake Sophia up, despite the fact her voice wouldn't work.

"Hi," Ivy replied with a soft smile. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Emma replied. "How are you doing?"

Ivy shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess. Considering."

Emma and Regina sat down on the chairs beside Ivy.

"We have some good news though," Emma said. "The doctor just said I'm a perfect match with her."

Ivy released a sharp breath. "Oh, thank god!" She rushed out of her chair and hugged Emma tightly before returning to her seat. "I'm not a match and I don't think Henry is. They said in some aspects he could help but not in others, but I don't really know what that means."

"I'll be here if anything needs to be done," Emma assured her before she glanced over to her sleeping granddaughter. "Any improvement?"

"Not really," Ivy said. "No positive ones anyway." She bit her lip sadly. "Her heartbeat is getting slower by the day. If we don't find a way to wake her up soon…"

She trailed off, not wanting to speak the words.

Regina reached out and took hold of Ivy's hand. "As soon as Victoria finds out what curse they placed on Henry, my parents can start looking deeper into the cure. When that's finished, we can wake Henry and save him. With Henry awake, we'll have everyone awake who believes in True Love and magic. She'll wake up."

Despite thinking Ivy would smile at the possibility of Sophia waking up, that came crashing down when she frowned.

"Mother's doing what?"

"She's finding out what curse they used on Henry," Emma said. "She's the only one who can." She then sighed. "But let's not think about that. It's Christmas Day."

The conversation got less heavy after that. It still wasn't particularly chirpy, but it was a little better. Ivy was sharing how she and Henry had spent most of the last few days together. It was like they were getting to know each other again and the light in Ivy's eyes was beautiful to see. Ever since Regina had woken up from the curse, she hadn't seen the same light in Ivy's eyes before Henry was cursed in the Enchanted Forest.

The only tense moment they had was when Henry said Jacinda wanted to come and visit Sophia while she was in hospital, but Ivy had exploded and put her foot down. She had said she would not allow her to come anywhere near their daughter after she was the reason Sophia was in the hospital in the first place.

Henry had tried to argue, but Ivy won the battle before Henry got halfway through his argument. She'd also told the doctors and nurses who were helping with Sophia that Jacinda was not to come anywhere near her daughter. Her photo was pinned up in the staffroom so that everyone knew what she looked like.

Emma and Regina made their leave after a couple of hours and headed back home, promising to Ivy that they'd be back before New Year's and asking her to go home and get some rest. Later that evening, Ivy text Regina to say that she had made it home for a breather.

The next day, Zelena and Victoria came over as promised which also prevented Emma from getting around to proposing. Having her sister there was not the mood she wanted to surround her before proposing to the love of her life.

When they asked Victoria if she'd found out what curse was on Henry, she sadly didn't have the answer. Not because Jacinda hadn't told her, but because she hadn't gotten around to asking her. Regina had to hold Emma back when she started to get angry.

"What Emma means to say," Regina said instead, shooting her girlfriend strong daggers, "is that we really need you to find this out. Sophia's life is on the line."

At that, Victoria nodded. "I'm sorry. I will find out."

"That's all we ask," Cora added, trying to keep her voice light. She and Rumple couldn't keep working on the antidote without the information Victoria provided.

After that, the tension lessened as Lennie told her auntie everything that had happened the day before. Everyone was so caught up in her exciting story that they forgot about what had happened.

In the days that passed between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, every time Emma plucked up the courage to propose, something would ruin the moment. The day after Boxing Day, Cora and Rumple took Lennie to the park. The snow had cleared a fraction and she wanted to go on the swing and the couple wanted to get some fresh air, Cora had said, but Emma knew that she was giving her time alone with Regina to propose.

They were alone for a couple of hours, so Emma suggested they used the empty apartment to their advantage and ran a bubble bath. When they were all relaxed, she had every intention of getting down on one knee and telling Regina how much she loved and adored her, before asking her to marry her. However, when she got to her bedroom after draining and wiping down the bath, she found Regina napping in bed with towel abandoned on the floor. So that ruined that.

Emma suggested the following day that she and Regina should go and visit Sophia again, not that there would be any change, but Ivy had said that she was going to ho home for a rest and Henry was busy working so she would be alone. Regina didn't hesitate as she went to get her coat while Emma spoke to Cora about staying with Lennie while they were gone.

"Where are you going?" Lennie asked.

"We're going to go visit Soph," Emma replied, slightly hesitantly as she knew what was coming next.

"You said I could come with you when you next went," Lennie said, making Emma's prediction come true.

Fortunately, Regina walked back into the room at that moment, hearing what her daughter had just said. With a sigh, she turned to the blonde, silently asking her opinion. Emma nodded slightly, so Regina turned back to their daughter.

"It's not going to be easy," she warned her. "Sophia is asleep and won't wake up, no matter how hard we try. We don't want you to get upset."

Lennie frowned. "But I want to see her."

"That's fine, honey," Regina assured her. "We're just requesting that we need you tell us if it gets too much. Okay?"

"Okay."

With that decided, Emma told Cora of the change of plans. She was also apprehensive about her granddaughter going to the hospital, but the girl was just as stubborn as her brunette mother. Once her mind was made up, there was no stopping her.

Rumple leant them his car once again as it was starting to snow and there was no where safe they could transport themselves to in the hospital. Lennie was settled in her car seat but when they got going, she was unusually quiet. Normally, she would strike up a conversation as soon as the engine thrummed.

Emma glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw that Lennie was looking out of the window, her expression was unreadable. The blonde glanced at Regina who looked just as worried about their daughter. She reached out and squeezed Emma's knee gently.

"We should get going."

With a nod, Emma put the car into drive and set off to the hospital. She pulled up relatively close to the entrance as the car part wasn't particularly full and turned off the engine. Once they'd helped Lennie out of her seat, she took hold of both of her mothers' hands, gripping a fraction tighter than usual to show her nerves before they started making their way towards Sophia's room.

Once the arrived, Emma knelt down in front of Lennie.

"If you need to leave, just tell us, okay?" She reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Lennie's ear. She was wearing it down for once with her fringe weaved into a braid to keep it out of her face.

Lennie nodded but still didn't speak, so Emma simply opened the door to Sophia's room.

Slowly, Lennie made her way over and sat beside her niece.

"She's so small," she whispered as if not wanting to wake her.

"She's only four," Emma replied as she took a seat beside her daughter.

Lennie then turned to her mothers. "Is there really nothing we can do?"

Sadly, they both shook their heads.

"I'm afraid it's just a waiting game now," Regina said sadly as she sat beside Emma. "We can't do anything until we can cure Henry's heart so that we can wake him up."

"So True Love's Kiss won't work?" Lennie asked.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other. Neither expecting Lennie to suggest such a thing.

"We're hoping that'll work, but we need the right kiss," Emma said, trying to explain it properly so that there wasn't any confusion.

"What do you mean?" Came the typical question that Emma was hoping to avoid. She glanced at Regina, hoping she could explain things further in a way that Emma couldn't.

Regina paused for a few minutes as she tried to figure out how to word everything. "We think there needs to be a family connection to it. So, Henry and Ivy both kiss Sophia and wake her up at the same time. At least that's what we hope."

"And you need to cure henry before that?"

Again, it astonished Emma how clever her daughter was. Eight years old and incredibly intuitive. She nodded. "Exactly. We can't wake him before he's cured because then something bad will happen and he won't be able to wake Sophia." Emma's throat clenched at the idea of her son dying. There was a sharp stab in her gut that almost made her cry out in pain, but she knew it was imaginary. When she looked up, it seemed that Regina had felt a similar thing.

"So, if anything happened to me, you two would be able to wake me?" Lennie asked and the stab to the gut double at the implication that something could happen to both of her children.

Emma reached out to take hold of Lennie's had. "Nothing is going to happen to you, sweetheart. I promise."

Lennie swallowed and nodded before she turned back to Sophia. "Can I read to her?"

Regina nodded and passed over Henry's storybook that Ivy kept by the bed. Lennie took out the bookmark and continued reading from where Henry or Ivy had finished.

Emma and Regina shared a nervous look to each other. Both thinking that the worse couldn't happen to either of their children. Regina reached out and laced her fingers between Emma's as they listened to their daughter read.

The day after, Lennie decided she wanted to be the sole focus of her mothers' attention, probably to compensate of everything she had felt the day before when she went to visit Sophia. Everything she did, she wanted her mothers to participate in, whether it was watching a film, doing a puzzle or reading a book. She either wanted to read to her mothers or be read to. It was rather exhausting to say the least, but they wanted to keep her happy, so they went along with it.

The day before New Year's Eve was when everything changed. There was a loud knock on the door that made Lennie screamed in fright.

Emma headed to the door and opened it to reveal someone she never expected to arrive on their own.

"Victoria? Where's Zelena?"

The woman stepped over the threshold into the living room. "There was no time. I needed to get here first. I called her and she's on her way, but you need to know this." She scanned the room. "Where is everyone?"

"Regina is napping and Mom is at Rumple's for the afternoon with Lennie," Emma replied. "What's going on?"

"Call them!" Victoria looked frantic.

Panicked, Emma pulled out her phone and dialled Cora's number. She'd barely finished saying that Victoria had arrived and a plume of purple smoke appeared in the living room and three people stepped out.

"What's going on?" Cora half asked, half demanded. She was staring straight at Victoria.

"Should we wake Regina?" Victoria requested but Emma shook her head.

"Let her sleep," Emma said. "The pregnancy is taking a toll on her. Just tell us already."

Victoria glanced at Lennie and the girl rolled her eyes. "I'll be in my room."

Emma flashed her daughter a warm smile as she left the room. The four then sat down on the sofa and Cora motioned for Victoria to begin.

However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, Zelena's signature green smoke appeared and she was revealed.

"What's going on?"

"Just sit and listen," Emma instructed, getting rather frustrated with all the interruptions.

"I know what curse was used on Marcus and Henry," Victoria revealed. When she revealed the name, Emma had no clue what it meant, even Zelena looked a little confused, but Rumple and Cora glanced at each other in sheer panic.

"That look doesn't fill me with confidence," Emma said hesitantly.

Cora took in a shaky breath. "It's the worse one it could be," she said slowly. "If we give him an antidote that is one millilitre incorrect, it's fatal."

"That'll be why they used it," Emma said darkly. "We're fucked!"

"Em," Cora said softly. "We're not. We know what curse they used now. Rumple and I can start working on the antidote. It's going to take a while, a couple of months maybe, but we _will _get there. I promise you, sweetheart."

With her reassurance, Emma calmed down. "We'll find the cure?"

"We won't rest until we do," Cora confirmed.

So, finding that out also prevented Emma from proposing because when Regina woke up, they spent the rest of the day trying to calm her down as she wanted to go strangle Gothel and Jacinda for using the evilest of curses on her son.

By the time New Year's Eve came around, Emma was getting a little desperate. She was half tempted to just yell the question at the brunette but then she knew she'd never live it down. Plus, Cora would never forgive her. Despite her past, she was a romantic at heart and wanted Regina and Emma's engagement to be as beautiful as the ring that would be exchanged.

To distract everyone, Cora decided they should have a small party to celebrate the new year coming. Regina tried to fight it, but Cora was adamant. The matriarch had prepared a buffed with several type of chicken, potatoes and salads. Not only that, there were bowls of dip and crisps which Emma loved.

Regina had arranged for Remy and Sabine to work at the pub so that Zelena and Margot could come to the party. Lennie had been briefed that Margot still wasn't Robyn, but she didn't mind as they got on very well regardless. With Margot there, Emma got to finally meet Tilly who she had seen here and there but never really spoken to. She seemed sweet and still rather like the Alice she had met before she had gotten scared of Cora's palace.

Victoria had also been invited but to keep her cover, she was spending the night with Jacinda and Gothel which mean that Ivy had happily accepted the invitation after that was confirmed. Regina had invited Henry to join, but he had said he was going to stay with Sophia so that she wasn't alone into the New Year. She was rather upset that he wouldn't join, but at least he wasn't going to be with Jacinda. Everyone was rather relieved to hear that he was spending less time with his girlfriend. They were just worried what storm Jacinda would brew up when she realised.

The party was in full swing by seven with everyone snacking. They were able to keep the revelation about the curse out of the conversation, as Emma had filled Ivy in after Victoria had left, which was keeping the party vibe going.

However, by nine o'clock, Regina was struggling to stay awake. She was tending to nap multiple times a day as well as having early nights. Nights when she was working were difficult, but Emma assured her that she would get through the sleepy phase.

When Regina yawned for the fourth time in a row, Emma smiled softly. "You can go to sleep if you like, honey."

Regina shook her head. "No, I want to count in the new year with you."

"I can wake you before midnight strikes?" Emma suggested.

"I'll set an alarm," Regina decided instead. She rose from the sofa and kissed Emma on her forehead before she left the room.

As Lennie had already gone to bed half an hour ago, it was just the adults left and once they heard the door to Regina and Emma's room, they all turned on the blonde.

"So, when are you proposing?" Ivy asked.

Emma stuttered as she tried to come up with an answer.

"Mother said she'd given you the ring," Zelena piped up.

Emma flashed her mother a glare at the revelation, but Cora simply shrugged.

"Come on, Emma, Auntie Roni adores you!" Margot added. Everyone was having to make sure that they kept using Roni and Kelly for Regina and Zelena as to not confuse Margot. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."

Emma blushed at the attention. "I love her, I do. I just can't seem to find the right moment. I've tried every day this week."

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Try harder, dummy."

Emma sighed. "It's harder than you think."

The witch simply raised her eyebrow. "Em, how hard can it be? You simply tell her that you want to spend the rest of your lives together and that you want to marry her."

"It's about the timing," Emma defended. "That's what I'm struggling with. I have absolutely no fear in actually asking her."

"That's good then," Cora added, "but I thought you wanted to propose before the new year? You're running out of time."

Emma had spoken to her mother about the engagement a few days prior when Cora had started to ask why she hadn't done it already.

"I do," Emma said indignantly. "And I will. Just stop questioning me."

At that, she stood up and headed over to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. What she really wanted was a shot of whisky, but she didn't really want to have the taste on her tongue for the rest of the evening.

When she returned to the sofa, the others were talking amongst themselves and didn't bring up the proposal again.

Shortly after eleven, Regina walked back into the room after having a nap. She still looked exhausted but a little more rested to see in the new year.

As soon as she entered, Emma felt six pairs of eyes turn on her and she felt the pressure but now was not the time. Not yet. She still had just short of an hour.

Regina headed over and sat beside the blonde. She leant onto her shoulder as Emma kissed her forehead.

"Good nap?"

The brunette shrugged. "Not really. I find it harder to sleep when you're not there."

Emma smiled softly into Regina's hair. "I find everything harder to do when you're not there."

Slowly, Regina looked up and Emma saw a look in her eyes that was only ever reserved for her. She had seen a version of the look when Regina had looked at Robin all that time ago, but the look now was amplified. It was a look a pure love and adoration that Emma's heart started to beat rapidly, pumping a fierce love around her body.

It was time.

So that it wouldn't confuse Margot or Tilly, Emma quickly flicked her wrist so that whenever she said 'Regina' they would hear 'Roni'. If she was doing this, she was proposing to her Queen, not her cursed persona.

She swallowed nervously as she took Regina's hands in hers. The brunette eyed the blonde carefully, trying not to guess what was happening and get her hopes up if she was wrong.

"I mean it, Gin, everything is so much easier now that I have you in my life again," she started. "Not just the big things like looking after Lennie or putting up with your sister." At that, Regina chuckled and started to relax. "But just cooking together, watching a film or going to sleep. They're also so much easier because I have you by my side, helping me. You're the most phenomenal woman in the world. Everything you do, you do with passion and flair, even if it wasn't particularly for a good reason." She winked. "But you have such fire and strength and love that I fall in love with you more and more every day. You love our son and our daughter more than life itself and the new life we've created will be treated exactly the same. I guess what I'm saying is…"

She then let go of Regina's hands and stood up. At first, Regina frowned and started to panic until Emma got down on one knee in front of her and opened the ring box.

At this point, the room was deadly silent as everyone was focussing on the two in the corner.

"Regina Mills, the love of my life, my True Love and the mother of my children, will you do me the most amazing honour of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

After the question, Emma held her breath, waiting for the answer she was dying to hear. It took a few moments, but an answer did come. It just wasn't what she was expecting.

"No."

_A/N: Don't hate me!_


	38. Chapter 38

Emma's breath hitched in fear as she let the word sink in. Tears formed in her eyes as the rejection slowly started to settle in her gut. The stab from the day visiting Henry was firmly digging in and twisting painfully in her side. The room was still silent, everyone too surprised to even make a noise. There were no gasps of surprise, even Zelena was too shocked for words which amplified the situation.

Despite her intelligence, it was taking Emma several moments to wrap her head around what had just happened. She knew she should question the response, but no words could escape her. Her mouth was drier than the desert and her heart was aching with a sadness and an abandonment she'd not felt in years. She had put herself out there, just to get crushed all over again.

However, just as she went to move from her position, far too embarrassed to remain on one knee when the recipient hadn't said yes, Regina stood from the sofa and opened the draw to the coffee table. She pulled out a small box that matched the still open one in Emma's hands. In her moment of terror, she'd not been able to shut it.

The others watched on in complete silence as the scene before them unfolded.

Slowly, Regina guided Emma out of her knelt position until she was standing before pushing her gently so that she was sitting on the sofa. Still in shock, Emma allowed herself to be moved. Regina then sat beside her and took one of her hands in hers.

"I have been trying to find the right moment to do this for the past two weeks, but different things or people kept getting in the way," Regina whispered nervously. "I had it all planned for the day you came home after meeting Victoria and Ivy. I arranged for Lennie to be out for a reason, not just so we could have some time together but so I could do what I should have done years ago. I didn't bring the teddy from my apartment; I'd bought it purposefully for that occasion. It was all going exactly the way I wanted, but then Ivy arrived and it kinda threw off my groove."

Despite how heavy the conversation was, Emma couldn't help the small smile as Regina quoted from the Emperor's New Groove, knowing how much Emma adored the film, hoping it would slightly lighten the mood. However, she didn't speak to allow Regina to continue.

"Every time I've tried to do it since, things have gotten in the way or I've been too tired and fallen asleep on you." She bit her lip nervously. "So, I had it all planned tonight and told no one. Just before the clock stuck twelve, I was going to get down on one knee and ask you but then you went and got there first." She chuckled slightly. "We've always been so in sync that it really shouldn't surprise me." She paused for a second to calm herself. "At the end of the day, I love you, Emma. I love everything about you. Things I thought I hated, your boldness, your stubbornness, your drive, are actually reasons why I love you. The hate I thought I felt against you was just confusion for the way I truly felt about you."

Tears were now streaming down Emma's face as she understood that Regina hadn't said no because she didn't want to marry her, she had said it because she wanted to do the proposing herself. At that moment, she couldn't find it in her to be angry.

"Emma Swan, you are the love of my life and nothing will ever change that. You have given me the greatest gift of two children and another one on the way," Regina continued, as she slipped off the sofa and got down on one knee, matching Emma's previous position with tears starting to roll down her beautiful face. "I had a much better speech prepared but," she shook her head and laughed lightly before she opened the box and showed Emma the ring she'd selected almost a month ago when she first started thinking about proposing. "Will you marry me?"

Emma didn't even hesitate before closing the gap between them and kissing Regina passionately, allowing their tongues to tangle and fingers slip into hair despite the ring boxes. She didn't want to pull back, wanting to live in that moment, but Regina finally leant back.

She smiled hesitantly at the blonde. "So, is that a yes?"

Emma chuckled. "I think the fact I asked first proves that it's a yes." She kissed her again. "Yes, Ginny. Yes, I will marry you."

Regina's smile grew to a beam that would light the way in the darkness and her eyes shone with a new light that Emma had never seen before. Gently, she pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Emma's fourth finger. It was a perfect fit and suited her well.

Now it was on her finger, Emma could really see it. It was a long oval shaped diamond, but not overly big, with tiny diamonds surrounding the edge. The band was thin and white gold. It was delicate but sturdy enough that Emma wouldn't break it accidentally which was a possibility with her clumsiness.

Emma held up the box in her hand and motioned to Regina's hand. Regina nodded and held the finger aloft. Slowly, Emma pulled the ring out of her box and just as she went to place it on Regina's finger, she looked up at her.

"Will you please change your answer to my question?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, I will marry you."

At the words, Emma slipped the ring onto her finger, not surprised at the perfect fit, and pulled Regina in for another kiss which was met by the cheers and applause by the rest of the room. It felt ridiculously loud compared to the utter silence that had been surrounding them until that moment. However, the cheers were a welcome sound to the quietness beforehand.

When they finally pulled apart, they stood up from their positions. Zelena was then suddenly beside them, holding out a glass of champagne for Emma and orange juice for Regina. It seemed that Cora had opened the bottle they had gotten in to mark the New Year early. Emma wasn't complaining as she swallowed half off the glass down in a sip as she needed the liquid.

"Jesus, you two can't even make a proposal simple!" Zelena teased but her voice was light and she was smirking showing that she wasn't being malicious.

Regina chuckled before biting her lip. "I wanted it to go my way and I panicked. You knew I wanted to do the actual proposing."

Emma raised her eyebrow and glanced back at the witch. "You knew but were pressuring me into asking?"

Zelena shrugged. "Regina was taking her sweet time so I thought if we kicked you up the butt, the engagement might actually happen sooner. I didn't realise Gina's hormones were going to cause her into go into panic mode when you tried to steal here thunder."

Emma shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Shitty logic there, Sis."

"It doesn't matter now. You're finally engaged," Zelena said as she raised her hands in defence. "We got there in the end."

At that, Emma didn't reply, she simply took hold of Regina's hands, adoring the feel of their rings pressing against their fingers. She then pulled Regina to her once more for another soft kiss, loving when Regina smiled into their embrace.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you more," Emma replied as she hugged the woman tightly. "More than anything."

When they pulled back again, Margot and Tilly came over to off their congratulations. Margot hugged Regina tightly and Emma felt a small stab that her niece wasn't congratulating her too, but Emma knew that would change when the curse was broken. Robyn would remember and offer her belated congratulations. There was no doubt about that.

It was then Ivy who made her way over to the newly engaged couple. She looked wistfully at their rings as she absentmindedly played with the one around her neck. She kept Henry's engagement ring on a necklace so that it was always with her but hidden so that Henry wouldn't comment on it if he saw it.

"I think that's the most stressful proposal I've ever witnessed," Ivy said with a quiet chuckle. "My heart was in my throat just watching you!"

Emma laughed. "We never do things straightforward, do we, honey?"

Regina shook her head, but she blushed, slightly embarrassed at how it had all gone down. "Not at all."

Soon enough, the countdown to midnight began. Everyone gathered around the TV with a glass of champagne in their hands and Regina had another orange juice. The hosts on the screen encouraged everyone to start counting down from ten. They couldn't shout as to not wake Lennie up, so it didn't quite have the same effect, but it was working.

Just as it got to seven, there was a knock on the front door. Rumple went over to answer it so that the women did have to due to the late hour and was rather surprised to see a heavily breathing Henry at the door. He ignored the man he didn't know was his grandfather as she ran straight up to Ivy. Her eyes widened in shock as he wrapped his arms around her.

Zelena kept the count going as everyone watched Henry.

"Two! One!"

As the clock hit midnight, Henry pulled Ivy close to him. "I love you," he whispered as he leant forward to seal their lips with a powerful kiss.

Despite the moment, the other couples wanted to bring in the new year right and kissed their other half. Zelena had to watch on rather awkwardly as her daughter, mother, sisters and nephew all kissed their loved ones. However, she then felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw she had a text message from Victoria. Unable to help it, she felt her lips pull into a grin at just seeing the woman's name.

_Happy New Year, Zee. I'll be home in ten. Can you come over? I have a surprise._

Zelena felt her face flush at the message and what the meaning behind it could be. She shot back a quick message returning the gesture and confirming she would be at Victoria's apartment in around fifteen minutes. She didn't mention that Ivy was currently there making out with Henry, who hadn't seemed to come up for a breath yet, but she wanted to see how the next conversation was going to unfold before she left.

After the New Year's Kisses, everyone turned to where Henry and Ivy were standing. They had finally pulled back and Ivy had a blissful smile on her face as she gently cupped Henry's jaw line.

"Not that I'm complaining but what made you do that?" She asked, slightly hesitantly. Her eyes were starting to tear up, but she was trying not to let them fall. "And how did you know where I was?"

"Roni invited me and gave me the address," he replied as he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She leant into his touch automatically. "She said you'd were coming and I was sitting there at the hospital, staring at our beautiful daughter who looks exactly like you and I knew I couldn't keep lying to myself anymore. Yes, you did something bad, but you've apologised and haven't done anything like it again and I know you won't."

Ivy shook her head. "Never. I promise you."

Henry smiled nervously. "When you said if I wanted to keep Soph living with me, I'd have to live with you, I realised that's exactly what I want. I want my family back. I want my daughter and the woman I'm in love with. That isn't Jacinda. It's you, Ivy Belfrey. I love you."

At this point, she didn't bother hiding the tears. She let them fall down her cheeks, smiling when Henry reached up to wipe them away.

"I love you too," she whispered before closing the gap between them once more.

Everyone watched on with bated breath, aside from Margot and Tilly who looked rather confused at what was going on, but there was no ripple of light or earth shakes that came with confessing love before True Love Kiss breaking a curse and everyone deflated a fraction.

"Let's go home," Henry murmured against her lips.

Pulling back, Ivy raised her eyebrow making Henry chuckle.

"To your home," he clarified.

"What about Jacinda?" Ivy asked, knowing the question needed to be out there before anything happened.

"Leave her to me," he replied.

Ivy glanced around the room. "Let me say goodbye."

Henry nodded and took hold of her hand as she walked towards Emma and Regina.

"Happy New Year," she murmured. "And congratulations again."

"Why congratulations?" Henry asked.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other hesitantly before revealing their rings to their son. Henry beamed before pulling Regina into a tight hug but also being careful of the baby.

"I am so happy for you, Roni!" He cried as he stepped back. He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Regina smiled happily. "Thank you and thank the lord you came to your senses!"

Henry glanced at Ivy who smiled back at him. "Better late than never."

As he moved, Emma thought he was about to hug her too but then she remembered that one semi deep conversation didn't put them on the same level that this Henry shared with Roni. She quickly moved her arm and wrapped it around Regina so the sudden movement didn't look strange. The sharp stab in her gut appeared once more at the fact that her son wasn't congratulating her on the engagement as well.

"We're gonna head off," Ivy said quickly. She could see the pain in Emma's face and didn't want to make it worse. She knew getting Henry out of there quickly was the best solution to that. "I'll see you soon."

Ivy hugged both Emma and Regina before retaking Henry's hand and leaving the apartment. Margot and Tilly were the next to say they wanted to leave and Zelena said she would go with them.

Zelena walked up to the newly engaged couple and hugged both of them. "I'm so happy for both of you. I love you both. This is the best way to start the new year."

"We love you too," Emma said as she squeezed Zelena's hand. "Now go see that horrible woman who isn't your girlfriend, apparently." Zelena blushed. "I saw your face when you were staring at your phone. Maybe don't tell her about Ivy and Henry just yet though."

"I won't," Zelena promised.

Emma then nudged her sister softly. "Perhaps this new year, you can put a name on it."

Zelena blushed but didn't answer Emma's words. Instead, she headed over to her parents, as she considered Rumple a father figure to her now too, to say goodbye, before leaving with Margot and Tilly, the former having said goodbye to Emma and Regina already.

When it was just the four of them left, Cora and Rumple finally headed over to the new fiancées.

"We're so happy for you," Cora said, her voice thick with emotion as she took hold of their hands. "My darling daughters."

"Though I'll admit you did worry me for a second when you said no," Rumple added as he raised his eyebrow at his daughter.

Regina blushed at the slight scolding her father was giving her. "Sorry, Dad, but at least we both said yes in the end. But for now, I need to sleep. We'll see you in the morning." She then pulled on Emma's hand and practically dragged her down the corridor to their room, leaving a very baffled Rumple and Cora behind.

"Did she really just call me what I thought she did?" Rumple asked as he glanced to his partner. Regina had the word so fleetingly, it didn't seem to sink in. "There wasn't any sarcasm this time!" Regina had called Rumple 'Papa' once as a sarcastic remark, but she'd never called him Dad before.

Cora smiled encouragingly. "She did indeed, dear."

Rumple smiled, not really know what to say, before offering his hand to Cora. "Let's go to bed, my love."

Cora didn't hesitate in taking his hand and heading towards their room. As they walked past Emma and Regina's room, they heard giggles before everything went silent. Clearly the two had just cast a silencing curse. Neither wanted to know what was going on as they entered their room, leaving the two newly engaged women to themselves.

On the other side of the door, Emma was laying on the bed with Regina straddling her hips. The brunette was leaning over her new fiancée kissing her passionately.

"I love you," she whispered as she kissed down her jaw before nibbling on her ear. "I love you more than anything."

"I love you too," Emma breathed out as she pushed Regina's head closer into her neck, enjoying the attention. She allowed her fingers to run up and down her fiancée's body, enjoying the curves and adoring the slight bump that proved their baby was growing. The fact that this beautiful woman was actually her fiancée, she could barely believe it.

She let the proposal flash to her the forefront of her mind and relived the moment Regina had initially said no. The fear trickled through her one more as she froze.

Regina pulled back a fraction when she felt Emma's breath hitch in a way that wasn't a reaction to her sweet kisses. "Is everything alright?"

Emma nodded. "I'm good." She went to pull the brunette back down, but Regina paused and leant further back, frowning.

"No, you're not," she murmured. She slipped off of Emma's hips and sat beside her. "Em, honey, talk to me. Please."

The blonde paused for a moment before she sat up too. Slowly, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. Her go-to position when she was nervous or scared. Regina's heart broke at the sight.

"You have no idea how scared I got when you said no," Emma whispered, so quietly it was practically inaudible, but Regina heard her loud and clear. "I thought my world was crashing around me."

Regina swallowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it through. I guess my hormones weren't helping the situation either. I was so in the zone of wanting to propose to you and it was going all wrong."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Me proposing to you was wrong?"

"No!" Regina gasped out. "God nothing I'm saying tonight is going the way I want. Your proposal wasn't wrong in the slightest, it just wasn't what I had planned." She reached out to pull at Emma's arm and gently pushed her legs down before resting her hand on her thigh. "I'm really sorry I panicked you, but I just wanted the proposal to go the way I wanted it to. I love you, Emma, I really do and I hope the ring on your fingers proves that."

Emma glanced at the new addition on her finger. It was a weight she'd forgotten but this time, it was welcomed. She could understand why Regina had done what she did, she was a perfectionist and ridiculously stubborn. She preferred for things to go her way.

"I get that," Emma murmured. She sighed and moved Regina's hand from her thigh so she could link their fingers together. Pulling their hands forward, she saw the new addition on Regina's finger which made her smile. "I just wish you'd done it slightly differently is all."

"I'm sorry," Regina repeated but Emma shook her head.

"It's last year," she said with a small smirk which turned to quiet laughter when Regina let out a light chuckle.

"I'll give you that one," she replied. "Are we okay?"

Emma grinned as she pulled Regina's hand to her lips to kiss each knuckle. "More than." She pulled a fraction harder so that Regina fell into her. Their lips automatically collided passionately. "Now, I want to make love to my fiancée."

Regina grinned into the kiss and allowed Emma to lay her down. "With pleasure."

oOoOo

The next morning, when Emma and Regina shared their news with their daughter, Lennie squealed with excitement and pulled her mothers in for a hug.

"I am soooo happy for you! When are you getting married?" She asked.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other. They hadn't actually gotten around to discussing that the night before. After Emma's slight meltdown, they had made love well into the morning, falling asleep just after three am and had woken up at eight when they had heard Lennie walking towards the kitchen. It hadn't left them much time to discuss.

"We're not too sure yet," Regina said eventually. "There are quite a lot of factors we need to consider before we can actually pick a date."

Lennie seemed content with that answer as she dug into her breakfast. After another spoonful or two of her cereal, she looked back at her mothers. "Can I see your rings?"

"Sure."

Regina placed her hand in front of her daughter first. Lennie dropped her spoon and took hold of her mother's hand.

"This is so pretty!" She cried before glancing at her other mother. "How did you choose it?"

Emma bit her lip hesitantly. "I didn't actually," she revealed. "Your grandmother gave it to me to use." She then looked at Regina. "This was the ring Henry used to propose to Cora but with a few additions."

Regina gasped as she looked back down at the ring. She hadn't recognised it the night before but seeing it in the light, she didn't know how she'd not remembered it. For so many years, she had seen it resting on her mother's finger but without the additional rubies or the encrusted band. Knowing the meaning behind the ring made it even better.

"I love it," Regina whispered as she smiled at her fiancée.

Lennie grinned at the exchange before turning to Emma. "Mom, can I see yours?"

It was then Emma's turn to show her daughter her ring. Lennie traced it lightly with her finger. "This is pretty too."

"I went to the jewellers before work one day to find the perfect ring," Regina said. She glanced at her ring and smiled. "I was going to go down the princess cut route too because you're a princess and that." She nudged the blonde gently and chuckled at their little joke. "But then I saw this one and knew it would suite you better."

"I love it," Emma said, throwing Regina's words back at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina whispered before sealing their lips together in a short kiss.

"Eww, Moms, stop!" Lennie giggled making Emma roll her eyes.

"But we're so in looooooove," Emma teased as she pulled Regina close to her once more. The two laughed as they kissed again when Emma made obnoxious kissing noises to wind up their daughter.

"Moooooms!"

Emma and Regina pulled back, both of them laughing loudly. They glanced at Lennie who was sulking which made them laugh even louder.

"Alright, monkey," Emma said, still with a quiet chuckle in her voice. "I'll leave your mom alone for now." She then glanced around the room and saw the clock on the mantelpiece. It was getting on for nine and Cora and Rumple still hadn't surfaced but she had definitely learnt her lesson about going into their room on a morning. "Where are you grandparents?"

"Oh, they went out earlier," Lennie said. "Starting work on Henry's potion, Grandma said."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other, both trying not to get their hopes up too much. The blonde decided to distract them.

"Let's get some breakfast and then we can figure out what we're doing today," she said, hoping that, for once, they could have an easy-going day but it was the Swan-Mills family, things were never going to go simply.


	39. Chapter 39

After the three of them finished their breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, there was a knock on the door, pulling Emma out of the chance to ask what they should do next.

Regina glanced up at the blonde. "Are we expecting anyone?"

Emma shook her head. "Not that I know of."

There was another knock on the door, but before Emma could open the door, it opened itself revealing everyone's favourite redhead.

"I tried to be polite and not poof in unannounced like normal and you take forever to open the door?" Zelena sassed, her hand on her heart, feigning great pain. "How rude!"

Lennie looked up from the table and giggled. "Auntie Zee!" She then stood up and rushed over to her auntie, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

"My little niecey-poo!" Zelena cried, hugging her niece back. She stepped back and glanced at her sisters. "Hey gals."

Regina grinned. "Hey sis. What brings you over?"

Zelena pulled Lennie over to the sofa and sat down, pulling her niece onto her lap. "I have news," she said after bopping Lennie on the nose.

Emma and Regina exchanged a glance before they headed over to the sofa too. They sat opposite the others with expectant looks.

"Oh?" Regina look at her sister expectantly. She really had nailed the art of being cryptic in recent years and it wasn't half irritating.

Typically, Zelena was enjoying winding her sisters up.

"Zelena!" Emma snapped, getting frustrated now.

The witch rolled her eyes. "I took your advice," she said. "Tori and I were talking last night, and we made things official."

Emma grinned. "You're girlfriends?"

"Yep," Zelena said. She was trying not to show how excited she was, but it was radiating off her. it was a sight to be seen.

Lennie slipped off her auntie's knee and frowned. "With _her_?"

The adults turned to Lennie, each of them a little confused.

"What's wrong, monkey?" Emma asked.

"I don't like her," Lennie said bluntly. "I don't like Victoria. She was mean to Ivy, so I don't like her either."

Regina bit her lip. "Just because Ivy and her mother don't get on very well doesn't mean you can't like her," she said as delicately as she could. "Think of the way Victoria makes Zelena happy. Isn't that a good thing?"

Lennie hesitated before shrugging. "I guess." She then looked to her blonde mother. "But Mom doesn't like her either."

Emma at least had the decency to look a little bit ashamed. She sometimes forgot how much her daughter noticed. Emma had tried to keep her distaste of Victoria to the minimum whenever Lennie was nearby as she didn't want to influence her opinion. Yet it seemed that she had picked up on her body language regardless.

With a sigh, Emma then looked at her daughter. "Just because I don't particularly like her doesn't mean that she's inherently bad," she said though the words didn't sound very convincing. The look on Regina's face proved that but she kept going. "There will always be people out there who we don't particularly like, but we have to accept that." She swallowed. "I will try and behave better around Victoria to show you that."

Zelena bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, knowing how much it was paining Emma to say those words. She was a little upset that the woman she considered her sister was against her girlfriend. Emma had been completely different when she had been seeing Maleficent. The two got on quite well until Mal showed her true side and started flaking and becoming unreliable with their relationship. Their friendship came crashing down towards the end.

"Good luck," Lennie said and chuckled, knowing that her mother was lying.

"I agree with Lenno there," Zelena added, enjoying Emma's squirming before becoming serious. "How's Sophia doing? I didn't want to ask yesterday with everything going on."

Regina pulled a face. "Not great. We're nowhere near finding out what's wrong with her and her heartbeat is slowing more every day." She then shuffled slightly in her seat but Zelena picked up on it immediately.

"What aren't you saying?" She asked as she eyed her sister.

"I was thinking the other day–"

"Oh no," Emma said cutting her off.

Regina nudged her gently. "Pack it in," she chuckled before becoming serious once again. "But I was thinking," she flashed Emma a warning look so that she didn't interrupt again before continuing, "about sleeping curses in general. I know Sophia wasn't intentionally put under one, but there is someone who knows sleeping curses like the back of her hand."

As soon as Zelena understood what her sister was talking about, her eyes darkened. "No. Don't even think about it."

"Come on, Zee, she's the only one who can help!" Regina cried. She was a little confused as to Zelena's negative reaction to her suggestion. She knew about their past but didn't think anything had particularly happened to warrant this.

Lennie glanced between her mothers and auntie, completely confused as to what was going on. "Who are you talking about?"

"Maleficent," Emma said, understanding straight away what was going on.

"The dragon lady from Sleeping Beauty?" Lennie asked. Whenever her mothers mentioned a new person, she liked to link them to their character counterpart so she could wrap her head around them should she ever meet them.

Slowly, Emma nodded. "That's the one."

Lennie grinned at the confirmation. "She sounds so cool though. I want to meet her!"

"No, Lennie," Zelena said and Lennie's head snapped to the side. She was pretty sure that her auntie had never said no to her. Zelena was always the one to say yes whenever her mothers or grandparents said no.

"But why?" Lennie asked, not understanding. "She could help Sophia!"

"I finally moved on with my life, I don't want to go back to the past," Zelena explained even though she knew her niece wouldn't understand. Sure, she was incredibly intelligent, but now when it came to matters of the heart. She was far too young.

"But Zee, she's the only one who knows sleeping curses inside and out," Regina continued. "She could know of an antidote to stop her heart from slowing at the least. Please let me contact her. This is my granddaughter we're talking about. Your girlfriend's granddaughter." She thought by adding Victoria into the mix, it would pull on Zelena's rarely seen heartstrings.

The witch was quiet as she thought it through before shaking her head. "No, Regina. I'm sorry, but I'm not having Maleficent come back into my life when I'm finally happy. If Mother and Rumple cannot find a cure for Henry's heart by the time the baby is born, then yes, we'll have to."

Regina swallowed. "What if Sophia doesn't have that long?"

Emma's breath hitched at the question but Zelena didn't answer. Instead she stood up and flicked her wrist. Without any further words said, she disappeared in a cloud of green leaving a very confused Lennie and her mothers behind.

oOoOo

When Cora and Rumple had returned that evening, Regina repeated her suggestion regarding Maleficent. They had been discussing their day over the dinner which that evening was Regina's famous lasagne that she hadn't prepared in a while but had managed to scrounge enough ingredients to whip up before Emma was due to go to shopping soon.

As she explained her epiphany, Rumple agreed with her, knowing the dragon's experience with every sleeping curse under the sun, she had a slight addiction, she would probably have come across something to help.

However, much to Regina's surprise, Cora hadn't looked as enthusiastic as her partner.

"I don't blame Zelena for not wanting that monster back in her life," she said indignantly. "And that's me saying it when I know I've been terrible in the past."

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand why she's so against her. I thought they were happy with each other?"

Emma smiled sadly and paused her eating, her fork hovering above the plate. "They were ridiculously happy until Maleficent said she didn't want anything serious when Zee did. When Zee when to talk to her about everything, she was nowhere to be seen. She completely disappeared for days on end and when she finally came back, it was when I went into labour. Then all shit hit the fan with Hook and Zee decided to join us in Wonderland and that pissed Maleficent off. When Zee went to find her, she was nowhere to be found because she didn't want to see her. She was absolutely crushed."

"I know what Maleficent's like," Regina said with a sigh. "She retreats when she's scared or when she's overwhelmed. You should have seen what she was like when we realised we had feelings for each other. She hid for a week until I went to find her."

Emma's fork clattered to the table before falling to the floor, splashing lasagne sauce all over. However, it laid forgotten as Emma turned to her fiancée.

"You dated Maleficent?" She asked, completely baffled.

Regina swallowed. "I…I thought you knew?"

The blonde shook her head. "No." She scoffed. "It shouldn't surprise me though. You're a fan of blondes." She swallowed. "But now I'm with Zelena, Maleficent isn't coming here. We'll save Sophia without her help."

Suddenly, Emma pushed back on her chair and stood up. She put her plate by the sink and picked up her new leather jacket before slipping on her winter boots.

"Where are you going?" Regina asked, fear in her voice.

"For a walk before work," Emma replied. She walked over to Lennie and kissed her forehead before heading towards the door. "I'll see you later."

Emma left the apartment and headed towards the park she took Lennie to as it was part way towards the pub. She had agreed to take the shift that night with Zelena who had initially been scheduled to work with Margot. However, after she head left the apartment earlier, she'd text Emma asking if she would join her because Margot had forgotten that she'd promised Tilly that they would have a movie night watching Alice in Wonderland and Robin Hood. Emma had chuckled at that and agreed to work to help out Margot but also because she and Zelena hadn't really spent much time together recently with everything going on.

Regina had been rather reluctant for Emma to take over the shift because she wanted to spend the evening with Emma and Lennie as Cora would be with Rumple, but Emma promised to make it up to her. Though currently, she wasn't really in the mood to.

When she arrived at the park, it was unsurprisingly empty. There were still small parts covered in snow, but she ignored that as she walked up to the swing. With a small wave, she cast a heating charm on the seat so that she wouldn't get a numb bum when she sat down and the chill wouldn't hit her as much.

Slowly, she started swinging forwards and backwards as she gathered her thoughts. It really didn't surprise her that Regina had a past with Maleficent. She had been the Queen of the Realm, she could have anyone she wanted. When the Queens of Darkness had arrived in town and Maleficent had been brought back, there was an added tension between her and Regina, something Emma had overlooked at the time because she was struggling with her own feelings for the brunette.

She scuffed her feet so that she stopped swinging and rested her head in her hands. "God, how could I have been so stupid!" She groaned to herself.

Shaking her head, she pulled herself out of her funk and started swinging again. At the end of the day, Regina wasn't with Maleficent anymore, she was with Emma. The two were engaged and were completely in love. They were having their third child together. That meant something.

Suddenly she was felt with a ridiculous surge of guilt. There had been absolutely no reason to walk out the apartment like that. Regina was probably sitting at home stewing over what had happened. Her hormones were making her more angsty than usual.

Emma stopped herself from swinging again so that she could pull out her phone. Her lock screen was still the photo Zelena had taken. They had had a few others taken since, ones that included Lennie, but Emma still hadn't wanted to change that one. It captured their love and essence in one single image and she absolutely adored it.

She then unlocked her phone and started dialling Regina's number, needing to hear her voice. The brunette picked up within two rings.

"Em?" Her voice was thick, indicating that she'd been crying.

"Hey," Emma said. "Are you alright?"

She her Regina's audible swallow. "I'm fine," she answered but far too quickly for Emma to believe her. "I'm sorry for not telling you about Maleficent and I."

"Don't be," Emma said quickly. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have left the way I did. Heck, I shouldn't have left at all. I'm sorry."

Regina chuckled quietly. "So, we go from alternating proposals and now apologies. Things really are never simple between the two of us."

Emma laughed lightly too. "We're like a married couple already. I can't wait to marry you."

"Me neither."

Emma could hear the smile in Regina's voice and couldn't help the grin that formed on her lips. She started twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger, suddenly feeling a little nervous at what she was about suggest.

"Can we start planning tomorrow?" She asked hesitantly.

She heard Regina's sharp intake of breath. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting the question. "We can definitely start talking about it," Regina replied.

It wasn't a no, so Emma was celebrating to herself. "Thank you."

Regina chuckled again before sighing. "You should get to work before Zelena gets worried about you being late."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Or annoyed, you mean."

"That too."

"I'll see you when I'm home. Don't wait up."

The blonde knew there was no need to add the latter, Regina wouldn't be awake past ten, but she wanted to make sure she was in bed when she got home. She had arrived home to the brunette fast asleep on the sofa in an attempt to stay awake until Emma was back.

"Yes, ma'am," Regina said with a chuckle in her voice. "I love you."

"I love too. See ya."

Emma then hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She was already feeling better about everything, but she knew it wouldn't last when she started talking to Zelena about it all.

Knowing she couldn't delay it anymore, she stood off of the swing and started walking towards the pub. When she reached it, she saw that the room was about half full which was how she predicted it would be for the first day of the year.

When she looked at the bar, she saw that Zelena was already serving and there was a group of people waiting to be served. Glancing at the clock, Emma realised that she was cutting it fine. Quickly, she headed into the back to get rid of her jacket and take a deep breath before she returned to the main room and stood behind the bar.

"Hey, what would you like?" She asked the first customer, signalling that her shift had officially begun.

The first hour was just serving person after person and everyone seemed to want to start the new year adventurously. The men who usually went for lagers decided to mix it up to a bitter here or a pale ale there for their first round. Emma watched them all take their first sip and chuckled when every single one of them pulled a face. It wasn't surprising when they returned after fifteen minutes asking for their usual, leaving their half empty drinks on the table behind them.

The women who usually went for a vodka coke had decided to switch it up to a gin and tonic and the same happened in essence. Unlike the men, they at least finished their drink before coming back and ordering their usual. She was relieved when people started ordering their drinks properly because she didn't want to start having to remember new 'usuals' for people.

After the first rush started to slow down, Emma finally greeted her sister and got the two of them a drink. Strictly speaking, they weren't meant to drink alcohol behind the bar but what the owner didn't know, wouldn't hurt her. Zelena would just always make sure that Margot wasn't drinking behind the bar because she wasn't okay with that, let alone Regina.

However, the two leant against the back wall, carefully minding the bottles of spirits that weren't hung up on the wall, with a bottle of Budweiser each, taking steady sips.

"Hey," Zelena greeted back but she didn't particularly smile.

"What's up?" Emma asked, her brows furrowing in concern.

Zelena raised her eyebrows and looked at her with a look that read, _you have to ask?_

Emma sighed. "Okay, stupid question. I should have asked, "do you want to talk about it?""

The redhead shrugged. "Not particularly."

Emma had to stop herself from rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "Let me try again. We need to talk about this."

"We don't," Zelena said. "There's nothing to discuss. I don't want Mal coming back into my life. I tried to talk to her, I went back to that place for her and she wasn't there. You know what I found out from Little John when we when to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma shook her head, because she didn't have a clue. "She had charmed my necklace, you know the one I gave her?" This time Emma nodded. "So that she could know my whereabouts. When she saw that I was back in Storybrooke, she grabbed Lily and left. She did the same when I went to the Enchanted Forest. I just wanted to be happy, but she didn't want that."

"She flees when she's scared apparently," Emma snarked, unable to help her tone. "Regina told me because that's how she acted when they dated."

Zelena's eyebrows rose at that. "Well that's just put me off her even more. I had no idea that was a thing." She then pulled a face. "Eww, as if I slept with someone who slept with my sister."

Unable to help it, Emma laughed. "I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, that's kinda gross."

"Says the woman who slept with a flying monkey!"

Emma scoffed. "And whose fault was that?!"

Zelena raised her beer free hand. "In my defence, my instruction was to befriend you, not to seduce you and sleep with you. That was all him."

The blonde raised her eyebrow. "Likely story." She raised her beer and took a sip before chuckling. "It's crazy to think that we can joke about all those things now. When they were first going on, I hated you and what you did."

"I hated you too, well in theory," Zelena murmured.

"In theory?" Emma asked confused. She then heard a cough from in front of her and realised there was a customer waiting. "Hold that thought."

She put down her beer and headed over to the bar to get the customer's order. Fortunately, it was a usual who wanted to keep to his normal drink which was a pint of Stella. It was one of the quicker beers to pour but just as she finished, it seemed the customers decided to take advantage that the barmaids were serving again. Even Zelena had had to put her beer down to join in.

They were rushed off their feet for the next thirty minutes as everyone ordered another round. There were some rather sheepish men and women who were ordering their usual drinks once more and trying not to comment on the fact that going out of their comfort zone hadn't really worked.

When the rush died down again, Emma headed back to the back to pick up her beer. She took a couple of sips while waiting for Zelena to join her and soon enough, her bottle was empty. After throwing her bottle into the recycling box, she pulled herself another out of the fridge and added it to her tab. They didn't have to pay for their drinks as they were just docked from their wages.

Soon enough, Zelena was walking back over after pulling herself another beer.

"You were saying?" Emma said, prompting the redhead about their earlier conversation.

Zelena took a few sips of her beer before putting it down and crossing her arms.

"I didn't hate you, per se," she began. "I just hated the idea of all goodness and as the saviour, you were the epitome of that. Rumple used to tell me stories of how you were going to swan in and save the day."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Swan in?"

Zelena chuckled as she realised Rumple's words. "God, it's annoying that he knows everything."

"Oh, he actually said that?" Emma gasped. "I thought you were joking."

"Alas not," Zelena said, still laughing. "He's such a smart arse."

"A smart arse who's pretty much your stepdad," Emma remarked, wanting to see Zelena's opinion on it. The witch had made comments on Cora and Rumple's relationship, but she hadn't actually mentioned the prospect of Rumple being her stepdad.

Instead of speaking at first, she simply shrugged and had a few more sips of her beer. "It is what it is," she said eventually. "Mother is happy with him, so I have to be happy for her. If that involves the Dark One becoming my stepdad, then so be it."

Emma smiled. "Look at you, being mature."

To retract the blonde's statement, Zelena stuck her tongue out at her which just made Emma laugh before she became serious.

"I think I may have talked Regina out of contacting Maleficent," she revealed. "Well not in so many words but I'm hoping so."

Zelena swallowed and reached out to take Emma's hand. "I want to save Sophia, please don't think I don't, I just don't think Maleficent is the answer. Besides, she's an expert at putting people under them with her potions. Sophia's the result of a curse gone wrong. She won't have a clue."

Emma considered her words for a moment before sighing. "I guess. I just wish we could figure out what to do. I'm so done with curses. I just want to go back to Storybrooke with my family, all of us awake and safe, and then Ginny and I can get married."

"You want to wait until you're back in Storybrooke?" Zelena asked. "I thought you wanted to marry sooner rather than later."

"I do," Emma replied quickly. "I'm just saying in an ideal world, it would be in Storybrooke and Henry would be awake."

"I thought I already was?"

Emma looked up and saw that Henry was standing at the side of the bar. He'd clearly wanted to get a drink and as Emma and Zelena were at the back, talking in their own little world, he'd come around the side to get their attention.

"Of course," Emma said quickly, faking a large grin. Well the smile was never fake when she saw her son but with the fact that he could have overheard everything she'd said in the last few moments, she was starting to panic. "What would you like?"

Henry raised his eyebrow and the stab in her side returned when all she could see in him in that moment was a perfect mixture of Neal and Regina. His features were so like his father, but his expression was a copy of his adoptive mother's.

"I'd like to know what you're talking about with a curse and the town from my storybook if you don't mind."

At that, Emma's jaw dropped. "Fuck."


	40. Chapter 40

Instead of answering her son, Emma copped out majorly and pretended that her phone was ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and put it to her ear, pretending to connect the call.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She then pretended to cover up the microphone and looked up at Henry. "Sorry, it's my mom," she lied before scuttling to the back. She felt ridiculously guilty leaving Zelena to deal with Henry, but she needed to call Regina to find out how she should handle what could be about to happen.

Once she was in the back, she waved her hand over the lock so that Henry wouldn't come in because she wouldn't put it past him to barge in demanding answered. At least that was what her Henry would do. When she was sure that no one was coming in, she quickly dialled Regina's number.

"Hey you," she answered on the second ring. "Missing me already or is the pub dead?"

"Henry overheard Zee and I talking," Emma said instead of replied to Regina's teasing. "I don't know how much he heard, but we were talking about the curse and Storybrooke. Then I said that in an ideal world, we'd get married in Storybrooke and Henry would be awake, and he said that he already was awake. Fuck, Gin, what am I meant to do?!"

"First of all, you can calm down," Regina said, her voice relaxed despite the face her head was also running at 60 miles an hour. "What did you say after that?"

"I panicked and lied saying Mom called me," Emma replied, biting her lip in embarrassment. She released her lip with a pop. "I needed to talk to you before I said anything. Well I don't know what to say because if I told him the truth, he'd ship me up to the hospital to get tested!"

Regina was quiet for a few minutes as she tried to think of what to say. Emma could faintly hear the TV in the background and was trying to recognise what they were watching but she couldn't make it out. The voices sounded too generic.

"Maybe you could say you were talking about his book," Regina suggested. "You could be discussing a possible sequel where the character of Henry falls under a curse so he needs to be awoken and that would all take place in his mythical land of Storybrooke?"

Emma breathed out a sigh of relief. "You're brilliant, baby, absolutely fantastic. That would totally work!" She frowned. "I just hate lying to him."

"I do too," Regina murmured back. "But we'll come clean once he really is awake. We'll do it together. He'll understand, you know he will."

"I know," Emma sighed. "God, I miss him."

"Then go back out there and talk to him," Regina said. "I know it isn't the same, but at least he's there in some way. Try and get him talking about Ivy and tease him like you would if he remembered." She paused for a second before sighing. "You should get back to work so you don't look like you're avoiding him."

Emma chuckled. "It might be a bit too late for that."

"Good luck," Regina said before hanging up.

Emma slipped her phone back in her pocket before taking in a deep breath. She shut her eyes to centre herself before she waved her hand over the locked door.

_You can do this,_ she said to herself.

With a fake smile once more plastered on her lips, she walked back into the main room, scouring the room for the green eyes that matched hers and they weren't hard to miss.

Henry was still standing by the side of the bar but this time, he bad a Budweiser in his hand and he was alone. Zelena was stood at the other side of the bar, as far away from his as she could be, while she served the others.

"Hey," Henry called to get Emma's attention. "Everything alright with your mom?"

It took Emma a second to remember that she had pretended that Cora had been on the phone. God knows why she hadn't just said it was Roni but then again, she probably would have forgotten to use her cursed name. Jeez, keeping up with who was or wasn't cursed was getting difficult.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "Lennie needed to talk to me apparently and couldn't wait until the morning." She rolled her eyes. "Kids, eh?"

As soon as that left her mouth, she regretted it when she saw Henry's eyes darken and almost tear up.

"Shit, sorry, Henry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. I'm just so worried about Sophia. The doctors have said Ivy isn't a match and I'm not a full match so I'm panicking if the worst does happen. I don't know about Victoria because Ivy isn't talking to her."

Emma wanted to tell him that she knew that Victoria wasn't a match either. She'd told Zelena who had passed it on to everyone else, but it wasn't her place to share the news. She also desperately wanted to tell him that she was a match and would happily help if it came to it, but she couldn't, not yet. It would bring up too many awkward and unanswerable questions.

"Help will come," Emma said instead. "It just might not be in the way you expect." Henry flashed her a smile before confusion replaced. She knew he was about to question what he had overheard again, so she quickly tried diverting the topic. "How is everything going with Ivy?"

Henry bit his lip and glanced over his shoulders, being wary of who was listening in. When he was satisfied that no one was, he started speaking. "It's great. I just wish I could take her out on proper dates instead of spending all our time at the hospital. I mean, she forced me out tonight to get a breather because the room is so small and all we do is stare as Soph, praying she'll wake up, but she won't."

"What about Jacinda?" Emma asked, her voice quiet.

"What about her?" Henry asked, his voice rather defensive.

Emma held up her hand to show she wasn't being malicious. "Nothing, I just want to know that Ivy won't get hurt in all of this if you're still with her."

Henry sighed and put his beer down. "I don't know what's going on with her, but Ivy understands that I can't fully commit to her yet and that I need to figure things out with Jacinda first."

_You're telling me_, Emma thought to herself.

She knew exactly why Ivy wasn't pushing things with Henry. She didn't want Jacinda finding out about them just yet because of the probable retaliation they would face. Jacinda had cast the curse purposefully to get Henry but the fact that it was cracking and his true desire for Ivy was showing would send her into overdrive. Now was not the time for that until they figured out how to defeat her and Gothel first.

However, Emma had allowed too much silence to pass without realising and it had opened the door for Henry.

"So, what were you and Kelly talking about when I arrived?" He asked, his eyebrow raised once more.

Emma faked a laugh. "Kel and I were planning your next book," she said, using Regina's idea. "My daughter loves your book and wants more."

Now both of Henry's eyebrows were raised. He was clearly not expecting Emma's answer. Well, he didn't know what to expect but that hadn't been it.

"Oh," was all he could say.

Finally, Emma laughed and it was real. The look on Henry's face reminded her of her ten-year-old son. He looked confused, baffled and surprised all in one. It was brilliant and made her heart fill with love for him. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and run her finger through his floppy hair to get it out of his eyes like she could if he remembered he was her son. If she did it now, it would look like a very odd attempt at flirting which would be highly inappropriate in every sense of the word.

"Huh." Apparently, he was still at a loss as what to say.

"We were thinking that the character of Henry could get put under a curse this time instead of everyone around him," Emma said, repeating what Regina had suggested on the phone. "The story could be about saving him instead." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. "He spent the first book trying to save the others. He deserves to be saved himself."

Henry tilted his head to the side. "Not a bad suggestion actually, Emma."

Emma grinned and then glanced around the bar, seeing if anyone needed a drink and saw that Zelena was working her little butt off so that Emma could have a moment with her son. There was a queue forming and Emma knew it was unfair to keep them waiting.

"I'd better get back to work," she murmured as she leant away from the bar.

"I'll take another before you leave," he said cheekily which made Emma chuckle.

She got him another beer, flicking off the cap before putting it in front of him. Looking up, she saw him looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, I asked what your surname was. I realised I've never actually asked before."

Slightly distracted by the fact she needed to get to the customer, as she'd already made eye contact with him, she didn't think twice about giving a fake name.

"Swan," she said. "Emma Swan."

She missed the sound of Henry's bottle slipping through his fingers, as she started taking orders, as he heard the name of his lead character from his book. He quickly managed to catch it before it fell to the ground. A flicker flashed through his head of a knocking on a door as a kid and a woman who looked exactly like Emma opened the door and he introduced himself as her son.

Shaking his head, he tried to focus but he couldn't. Another flash came to him, again as a child, screaming at his mother that she was the Evil Queen and that his real mom, Emma Swan, was the saviour. As he thought about it, he realised that the Evil Queen looked exactly like Roni and the Emma from his story was the exact replica of the Emma standing in front of him. As this flashed through his mind, his heart clenched in pain. He clasped it in fear before pushing back from the bar and running towards the door and in any direction he could.

When Emma glanced around fifteen minutes later when there was a gap in the queue, she realised that Henry had gone.

She nudged Zelena. "Did you see when Henry left?"

Zelena shook her head. "No, sorry."

"The guy who was at the end?" Asked one of their usual customers. Emma nodded. "He left about fifteen minutes ago. He became very pale all of a sudden and ran out."

Emma swallowed. "Shit," she muttered.

Zelena pulled on Emma's arm gently towards the back off the bar. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I told him my name," Emma whispered. "I told him my real name."

Before Zelena could reply, Emma's phone started to actually vibrate this time. Regina's name flashed up.

Emma answered it quickly. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"You need to come home," Regina said, her voice thick with panic and worry. "Now."

"Gin–"

"Henry's here." Regina then hung up the phone without saying anything further. Emma's head snapped to the left where Zelena was standing, well staring at the blonde.

"What's going on?" The redhead asked.

Emma swallowed. "Gin said I need to get home. It's Henry, but I don't know what the issue is."

"Go," Zelena instructed quickly. "I'll call Margot if it gets busy but if Gina says you need to be home, you need to go."

"Thank you!" Emma cried, hugging her sister quickly. "You're a star."

Zelena smiled softly. "Go already."

Emma didn't hesitate any longer. She rushed into the back and pulled on her coat before running back through the crowd in the pub and towards the front door. She knew it would be quicker to transport herself home, but she didn't want to poof straight into the apartment, not knowing what response would be. Instead, she all but ran home.

When she got to the elevator, she gasped to regain her breath quickly before the doors opened. Slowly, she walked towards the apartment and took one last deep breath before putting her key in the lock and entering.

"Oh thank god you're home," Regina gasped when she saw the blonde stepped over the threshold. She ran over to her and pulled Emma into her arms, hiding into her neck.

Emma looked over Regina's shoulder and saw someone lying on the sofa. They were far too tall and manly to be Lennie.

"What's going on?" Emma asked as she slowly pulled away from her fiancée. Regina's face was tearstained, and her eyes were red. Emma's heart broke at the sight, it always did when she saw Regina upset. She glanced around the room and her brow furrowed. "Where's Lennie?"

"Asleep already," Regina replied, answering Emma second question as it as the easier of the two. "She went to bed around eight."

Emma glanced up at the clock and saw that it was ten already. She hadn't realised it had gotten so late already. She then slowly made her way over to where Henry was lying on the sofa. Gently, she knelt on the floor beside him and automatically stroked his forehead like she had when he was younger.

"Gin, what happened?" She asked delicately.

Regina swallowed as she joined Emma.

"He arrived about twenty minutes ago," she began as she let her story unfold.

After Henry had left the pub, he'd jumped in his car and headed straight for Roni's. As soon as the image of the Evil Queen morphed into Roni, he knew she was who he needed to talk to. He was sure he broke every single speed restriction as he made his way over. The car skidded to a halt and he'd barely unbuckled his seatbelt before he was running once more towards the apartment block, throwing his car key over his shoulder to lock it.

He repeatedly pushed the elevator button until it arrived and was already pressing the closing button a second after entering. The short wait to the second floor was agonising before the ding was heard and the doors opened. He stormed up the apartment door and was about to bang the door down before he remembered about Lennie. It was late and he knew she'd be asleep, and Roni would kill him if he woke her up. He would do, and had done, the same when someone had done it to Sophia.

With a deep breath taken, he knocked on the door, but it still came out louder than he was hoping and started to panic that he'd scared Roni.

After a couple of seconds, the door opened to reveal a rather tired looking Roni and his guilt heightened.

"Henry?"

"Can I come in in, please?" He asked, finally remembering his manners.

Regina, despite being rather confused, stepped back from the door and allowed her son to enter. She was rather glad that she'd but her dressing gown on over her pyjamas which were made up of one of Emma's larger t-shirts and jogging shorts.

"I'm sorry to burst in like this," Henry said as he stepped over the threshold. "Something just happened and I need to talk to you about it."

"Take a seat," Regina suggested, "and I'll make some tea."

Two minutes later, Regina came back with two mugs of decaffeinated tea. She wanted to give him something to sooth but not wake him up too much.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"You know your fiancée has the same name as the lead character in my book?" Henry began, his voice thick with disbelief. "Not only that, but she looks exactly like her. I mean look!"

He pulled a copy of his book from his bag as he always carried one around with him for some reason and picked up the photo frame that Emma had gotten Regina for Christmas. Opening the book, he pointed to the first picture of Emma and to the photo. They were the same.

"But that's not all," Henry continued when Regina didn't speak. There was nothing for her to say yet because the evidence was in the photos. "As soon as Emma said her name, I got these flickers, it's as if they were memories but they can't possibly be. They were snippets from my book which is all fiction, right?"

Regina tried not to give anything away in her expressions. There were two routes she could go down, either tell her son the truth or to lie through the skin of her teeth. The latter she'd done before and it had all gone terribly wrong, but at the current moment, she also couldn't tell him the truth.

"Then there was a flicker of the Evil Queen from my book, you know Regina?" He asked and Regina nodded slowly. "I had a vision of screaming at her that she wasn't my real mother. How could that be possible when I was raised in the system? I don't have a mother, let alone two." He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, but it wasn't working in the slightest. "And now I think of it, don't take offence, Roni, but she looks like you!" He flicked through a few pages and compared the photo once more and again, Regina kept quiet. "I overheard Emma talking about Storybrooke, but she seemed too familiar with it to just have read in in a story. Then she called you Ginny and I know it was you because she was talking about getting married. Who else is she marrying? Roni," he laughed, a little crazily, "is that even your real name? What's going on?"

As he stared at the woman, his heart started to clang with pain once more, even stronger than it had in the pub. Reaching up, he clutched his chest once more and Regina realised what was going on. As his memories were coming back, the curse on his heart was coming into play one more.

Knowing there was nothing she could do in that moment, she regrettable waved her hand over her son until he slipped backwards, fast asleep. It wasn't the sleeping curse that needed True Love's Kiss to be broken, it was just a deep enough sleep to calm him down.

Once he was under, Regina pulled out her phone and called Emma, begging for her to come home.

Emma started at her son after hearing what had gone on. "So, all that happened because he found out my name?"

Slowly, Regina nodded. "So, it seems."

"I guess my name has somehow been weaved into this curse too?" Emma realised. "What do we do?"

Regina pulled her phone out of her pocket as she stood up from crouching beside her son. "I'm gonna call my parents, you should call Ivy."

The two then made their respective phones calls and five minutes later, two clouds of smoke appeared, one burgundy and the other light blue, signally their arrival.

"Henry!" Ivy gasped as she rushed over to her partner. She automatically started checking his body for any signs of injury. "What happened?"

Emma had been rather vague on the phone, simply saying that Ivy needed to come to the apartment as soon as possible.

"I was going to ask the same," Cora said as she glanced at her grandson. She automatically recognised the spell on him, she was just a little confused why Regina had cast it. She knew it was her daughter as every spell left their signature behind if you knew where to look for it.

Regina swallowed before repeating the story of what happened to everyone else. Ivy gasped once more as she sat back on her heels, realising that Henry wasn't fully in danger but also that she could be causing him more pain by being close to him if the curse on his heart was still in effect.

Everyone turned to Rumple, knowing that he would be able to figure something out. He always could.

With a sigh, he linked his fingers together and tapped his bottom lip with his index fingers while the thought of how to phrase what he was thinking.

"There are two solutions to what's going on," he began slowly. "We can allow his memories to keep returning slowly. At his rate, he'll remember everything by tomorrow evening. That would be good because things would get easier for fighting Jacinda. She would lose it if she knew that he was awake."

"But his heart?" Ivy whispered.

Rumple nodded and lowered his hands. "Exactly. It would mean that the three of you couldn't be anywhere near him and the curse would strengthen again."

"What's the other solution?" Emma asked, not wanting to hear what could possibly happen if they allowed that option.

"We wipe his memories of remembering," Rumple replied. "From the point where he found out your name. If he asks again, you simply say your name is Emma Gold so that you don't look obvious making up a fake name. If he forgets, then the curse will be suppressed along with the curse on his heart. Everything that happened tonight will wash away until the true curse is broken. However, we need to act fast. Look."

Everyone then glanced back at Henry whose face was scrunching in pain in his sleep and his hand was clutching his heart once more. Ivy shot back immediately to give him some space and the pain seemed to lessen a fraction, but the brunette just teared up.

"Wipe his memory," she begged Rumple as tears started to fall. "Please."

Rumple looked to Emma and Regina, wanting to know their wishes.

"I agree," Emma said softly. "Gin?"

Regina didn't look like she was listening as she looked at her son. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she knew she couldn't take a step closer to him without causing him pain like Ivy had. Henry had been her whole world for such a long time, seeing him in pain was her downfall.

Slowly, she turned to her father and swallowed before wiping away a loose tear she hadn't realised had fallen. "Cast the spell, please. It's not time for him to be awake yet."

Emma walked over to her brunette and wrapped her arm around her waist and Regina didn't hesitate before leaning into her.

"Okay," Rumple murmured before he walked towards his grandson. He wanted nothing more than for him to remember too. The two had gotten so close while being in the Enchanted Forest to the point that Rumple had started feeling better after Belle's death.

Swallowing, he waved his hand slowly over Henry, a dull white light running up his body before evaporating, taking the memories away. After a couple of minutes, Rumple stepped back as Henry's eyes started to flutter open.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice thick from dryness. Ivy offered him the cooling tea on the table.

"You fell at the pub and hit your head, so Emma brought you here to make sure you were okay," she lied. "They called me so I wouldn't worry."

Henry reached up to his head and felt it throbbing. Everyone else in the room knew it was from having his memory wiped but it worked with Ivy's story. He looked rather confused but shrugged it off.

"Thanks for helping me," he said to Emma instead.

"You're welcome," Emma replied.

"Let's get you home," Ivy suggested.

The two then made their leave with Ivy leading a very perplexed Henry out of the room and to his car.

Once they left, Emma pulled Regina closer to her. They had been so close to getting their son back but now they were back to square one.

Rumple then cleared his throat. "I promise you both, we will start working harder on the cure. We will get him back."


	41. Chapter 41

True to Rumple's word, he and Cora were working on the cure for Henry's heart day and night whenever Rumple could get himself away from the police station. He had had to take a couple of days away from the potion when Rogers had got on his back for deserting them too often to the point he decided to take a leaf out of Emma's book and confunded the one-handed pirate so that he would think the detective was in the office when he wasn't.

However, after a week of solid working, they still weren't any closer to finding the cure which was starting to frustrate them.

"I just can't figure out what we're missing," Rumple sighed at dinner one Friday evening. They were having Regina's lasagne once again and Ivy and Zelena were also over while Remy and Margot covered the pub. "I feel like it's staring me in the face but in a place I cannot see."

"We'll get there," Cora assured him, giving his knee a squeeze.

"What are you looking for?" Lennie asked as she munched on her garlic bread. "Or are you just trying lots of different things like Mom's cooking."

Everyone glanced at Emma who blushed. She wasn't the best cook and she knew it. Most of her creations were as Lennie had suggested, where she would just throw different items together and hope for the best. If something didn't work, she would swap it the next time. Trial and error at its finest, but Lennie was still alive, so her cooking clearly wasn't that lethal.

Cora bit her lip, unsure as to how much details she should go into. "We don't really know what we're looking for," she settled on. "We just know we're running out of time." She then glanced up at Ivy. "How's Henry been since having his memories wiped?"

"He's okay," Ivy replied with a shrug. "I mean, his heart isn't hurting when he's with me or by Soph's bed, but I'm not going to lie; it would be better to have him back to normal."

Emma reached out and squeezed Ivy's hand. "We will eventually."

Zelena smiled softly. "We should change the subject," she said knowing that everyone was starting to get a little down over the negative conversation. "How are the wedding plans coming?"

Regina shot her sister a grateful smile at swerving the conversation. "They've been started."

As per Emma's wish, she and Regina had started planning their wedding but a couple of days after the trauma with Henry so they could start it with clear heads. The first item on their agenda was who was invited. They wanted to keep it relatively small because they knew they could have a big blow out once the curse had finished and they were back in Storybrooke where others they cared about could join. Emma wished Ruby could be there because she missed the fiery wolf, but she knew she couldn't have any other outsiders come.

Their main question was Henry. They both wanted their son there but having him not remember would be a stab to the gut which Emma was becoming ever more familiar with.

"We've been thinking more about who should be there more than anything else," Emma revealed.

Cora tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Well surely it should just be family," she said. "Us here along with Henry and Margot."

Emma bit her lip. "But this Henry doesn't know he's family. It would look odd."

"He can be my date," Ivy said before pulling a face. "Or am I not classed as family while he doesn't remember?"

Regina reached out and squeezed her hand. "You're always going to be a part of this family. Curse or no curse."

Ivy's lips slowly pulled into a small smile. After struggling so much with her own family and trying to find her place there, hearing Regina's words that she was part of their family was music to her ears. "Then that's sorted with how to get Henry there. We just need to make sure he doesn't tell Jacinda."

Everyone shared a look of fear at the idea of Jacinda turning up out of the blue to the wedding.

"Perhaps we shouldn't tell him until the day before?" Emma suggested. "That way he can't accidentally blab."

"Agreed," Regina said with a hint of regret.

When she had started dating Robin and things seemed to be getting serious, Henry had asked if he could help out with wedding plans. She had simply laughed his suggestion off, thinking that she would never get married again but yet here she was. It wasn't Robin, which she was now relieved about, but Henry wasn't there to share the moment and she started to feel overwhelmed.

There was then a soft, comforting pressure on her knee and she realised that Emma had rested her hand there, squeezing gently to show her that she wasn't alone. Regina flashed her a smile and rested her hand above hers. With Emma by her side, she knew she'd be able to face anything.

Another few days passed and there was still no update from Cora and Rumple regarding the potion, not because they hadn't found it, but because Rumple had been called into work for the most disturbing case he'd ever witnessed. The event was so terrible it had forced its way through the confunding spell and Rumple knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the potion while this case was ongoing. He knew who was behind it, but he had to follow police protocol.

The evening when he sat everyone down to tell them what was going on was scarred into everyone's mind. Rumple had bought Lennie's favourite snack, peanut butter cups, to keep her sweet when he asked her to stay in her bedroom while he spoke to her mothers. Lennie had rolled her eyes, which was becoming ever more of a regular occurrence, but had taken the chocolates and Emma's headphones so that she wouldn't listen into their conversations.

Ivy and Zelena had also been invited over to hear the news but the latter arrived about half an hour late with Victoria half a step behind. The two looked like they'd been through hell, their eyes were wide with fear and their breathing erratic.

However, as soon as Ivy saw her mother, despite seeing how dishevelled she looked, she stood up and started putting her jacket on. "I'm leaving."

"No, you need to hear this," Victoria insisted. "I've been so blind to everything but now it's all come to light."

"What's going on?" Emma asked, her head flicking between Victoria, Ivy and Rumple. Everyone had been sitting around the table waiting for Zelena to arrive. The two made their way over and sat opposite to Emma and Regina, with Victoria sitting in the far corner of the table. Cora and Rumple sat at the head and bottom of the table as usual.

Once they were finally seated, it was time to begin.

"Children have been going missing," Rumple revealed, getting in quickly before Victoria could say anything else. "One disappeared two weeks ago but it wasn't my case, so I didn't know about it. Over the past two weeks, three more have gone missing and today, another was reported gone. All are young girls, none older than eight."

Regina let out a strangled scream, her hand immediately coming to rest on her tummy. She glanced down the corridor to Lennie's room.

"Lennie is safe," Rumple said quickly. "She has so many protection spells surrounding her. They can't get her here. I promise."

Regina swallowed but her breathing still didn't settle, even when Emma's hand settled on her thigh, she still didn't calm.

Emma turned to Victoria, her eyes narrowed with fury. "Just because you're trying to keep your cover, does not mean you can allow innocent children to be taken! What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"I didn't know it was going on at first," Victoria defended, shrinking back in her chair. "I went over the other day and there was a child in the living room. Jacinda had said she'd gotten lost, so they were looking after her until her mother arrived. I thought nothing of it."

Emma scoffed, completely not believing a word she said.

"It wasn't until earlier today that I went back to give them an update on Sophia that I found out what was really going on," Victoria continued, ignoring Emma's noise. Her face paled and her eyes became unseeing as she relived what had happened that morning.

Victoria headed over to Jacinda's after leaving the hospital. She had started visiting Sophia when she knew Ivy wouldn't be there. She had allowed her daughter compassionate leave from work, trying to show that she was a good mother, but Ivy had just accepted the leave but hadn't thanked her. As she headed to Jacinda's, she tried to forget about her still conflicting feelings towards her eldest and concentrated on become the doting mother to the woman who wanted her dead.

As she made her way from the hospital, Victoria realised that living a double life was ridiculously hard. She had to keep up the pretences with Jacinda that she didn't know that she wanted her dead. It was unsettling knowing that every time she saw them could be her last moments.

However, in that moment, she couldn't think about it. She needed to keep her cover, Zelena needed her to. As always, she didn't bother knocking, what mother ever did, and entered the apartment. The scene before her made her blood turn cold and she couldn't stop the scream.

Jacinda was sitting beside a young girl, who couldn't barely be older than 5 years old. Her eyes were wide with fear as she looked up at the monster who was pinning her down. A deep green glow surrounded the child's body which Jacinda was trying to stay clear of. At the child's head was Gothel, her head had been thrown back and her arms were wide as she sang her enchantments once more. However, when Victoria screamed, the green glow disappeared and Gothel's eyes flew opened.

"What the fuck are you playing at?!" Victoria screamed. She rushed forward and pulled Jacinda off of the girl and started to check her pulse. It was weak, but it was there. However, she wouldn't wake up when she was shaken. It didn't take Victoria long to see that the girl had succumbed to the same fate as her granddaughter. "This is an innocent child."

"No children are innocent," Gothel hissed. "Seeing as your brat wouldn't die for the cause and interrupted the ceremony with Sophia, we need a replacement! The others have failed. This one was promising and you ruined it!"

"_I_ ruined it?!" Victoria's voice split in her shriek. "How many other children have you needlessly killed?"

"None!" Jacinda hissed. "They're all still alive. They're just in a coma like the brat who we still can't get close to because of the fucking protection spells they put around her ward and the fact the bitch has my photo around the hospital!"

Victoria let out a frustrated cry, more at herself that she had to keep her cover, but it was getting harder and harder by the second. "I get why you wanted Sophia, but these children don't deserve this."

Gothel glowered as she strode towards the two. "Every child deserves this when they refuse me! You're on our side, Rapunzel, it's time you started acting like it!"

Victoria froze at the statement, knowing that she needed to keep her façade up now more than ever, but it was starting to slip. She looked down at the poor girl and all she could see was Sophia. There were parents out there who would be scared shitless, not knowing where their daughter was.

Everything was about to be ruined but she knew it was for the best. For when the moment arrived, as everyone knew it would, Zelena had charmed Victoria's necklace that she wore which, when pinched, would alert Zelena and bring her to wherever she was. She hoped it would never be necessary, but she knew it was time.

Subtly she reached up and pinched the gem on the chain, waiting for Zelena to appear. However, seconds passed, and she didn't seem to be showing and both Gothel and Jacinda were waiting for her to say something.

When it looked like she wasn't going to, Gothel turned to her apprentice, her lips curling into a smirk.

"It's time, J," she said. "She's a liability and you know it. She's going to ruin everything."

_Where the fuck was Zelena,_ Victoria thought, her panic settling in even more that the past three months with the fiery redhead had been a lie. She had just been sleeping with her to find out what was going on with Jacinda and Gothel. Now they were turning their backs on her too and she had no one.

"I'm not!" Victoria snapped, trying to regain her dignity and keep at least half of her cover. She could feel sweat sparking her skin. It was finally time, Jacinda's wish for her death was coming and she couldn't stop it.

Jacinda smirked. "Oh, Mother dear, it's time to stop the façade," she said, highly patronisingly.

Victoria reached up to her necklace one again, desperately hoping she was wrong about Zelena.

"Clearly your girlfriend won't be joining," Jacinda snarked. When Victoria's eyes widened in shock at the revelation that Jacinda had known about Zelena. Her stepdaughter simply laughed but there was no humour in it. "Yes, we know all about you and _her._ Why do you think we've not included you in any of the plans? Everything we told you was harmless information."

Jacinda stalked towards her stepmother, taking slow but steady steps towards her. Victoria shrunk back in fear, her heart began to race and breathing hitched.

"You don't mean this, Ella," Victoria begged her, hoping the use of her real name would trigger some sort of remorse but alas, her expression didn't change. If anything, it worsened.

"Don't you even think about it!" Jacinda screamed. "You're the reason my mother is dead because you wanted my father to yourself. You're disgusting!"

Now, Victoria wasn't expecting that though it shouldn't surprise her that Gothel would have told the truth about how her mother had died. Victoria was ashamed of it, but she loved Marcus and she needed him. Well, she though she had. Now she was with Zelena, he didn't seem to matter as much. Then again, that was all going downhill now that the redhead wasn't arriving.

In vain, she tried once more, pinching her necklace for the third time in hopes that Zelena would arrive and just as she let go, a plume of green smoke appeared. Zelena stepped out, her eyes full of fury and her palms already illuminated with flames.

"Get the fuck away from her," she hissed out.

She released the flames before Gothel could gather any magic. Jacinda ran from the room with a scream and didn't look back like the coward she was. Gothel, however, started pulling her magic, conjuring her vines to start bursting through the floor but Zelena was quicker. She blasted the ground, scorching every root that tried to grow.

"Get behind me," Zelena instructed to Victoria so that she could protect her with her body. Victoria immediately hurried behind her while Zelena swapped her tactics. Instead of blasting the new growths which were unable to pass her layer of flames, she started channelling her inner rage. Her bright yellow flames grew dark as powerful venom laced the fire.

As soon as Gothel's eyes saw the flames, they flashed in fear before her lips grew to a snarl.

"You can't defeat me, witch!" She spat.

Zelena barked out a laugh. "Watch me, bitch!" She pushed the flames out and hit Gothel square in the chest. The woman dropped down, her body convulsing.

As soon as the flames cleared in Zelena's hands, Victoria pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"God that was scary," she mumbled into her neck. "I thought you weren't coming."

Zelena held her girlfriend tightly, stroking her hair to calm her down. "I felt the necklace burn but I was waiting for the third pinch, I thought you'd caught it accidently."

Victoria pulled back from their embrace but didn't let go of her. "Third time?"

Gently, Zelena reached up to cup her cheek. "Yes, I said pinch it three times and I'll be here, I just didn't appear when you didn't actually need me."

In her panic, Victoria had forgotten that as she never thought she'd need to use it. "I thought–"

"I know," Zelena hushed her politely. "Come on, we need to get this girl to the hospital and tell the others what's going on."

They quickly took the girl to the hospital, lying that they found her in a café. It was too cold to have found her outside as her body was too warm. They said they didn't know where her parents were, so they left the hospital trying to find them before they hurried to the apartment to meet the others.

Victoria had wanted to blurt out what had happened as soon as they stepped through the door but seeing Ivy had prevented her. Zelena had warned her that she would be there as Rumple had called a meeting but seeing her stabbed her in the gut.

Oddly enough, once she'd finished her story, Emma turned from glaring at her to looking at her father in law.

"What are you doing still sitting there!" She all but shrieked. "Vicky just told you who are behind the attacks, not that we didn't already know that, but get your ass out there and arrest them!"

Rumple hesitated before shaking his head. "We can't arrest anyone without proof. I can't just walk in there and arrest them just on Victoria's word."

"Then find the proof!" Emma was blazing with fury, her scream was so loud that Lennie ran into the room, able to hear the yell over her loud music.

"Mom?"

Emma glanced to her daughter and started to calm down a fraction as she didn't want to scare her. Lennie's eyes were wide and vulnerable. She glanced between her mothers, searching for the answer.

"Sorry, monkey," Emma said before opening her arms. "Come sit."

Lennie crossed the room and sat on Emma's lap.

Victoria flashed the blonde a confused look, clearly thinking Lennie shouldn't be around for this conversation but Regina understood. Emma's anger was taking over and she needed Lennie there to calm her.

With the decibels down, Rumple continued. "We're trying to find them, but with the magic element it's making it harder. Rogers has already got Jacinda on his list after what happened to Sophia but again, there's no proof beside Ivy's word." When Ivy went to speak, Rumple raised his hand. "Let me finish. We have to be careful because everything is magic related and the police can't know that."

"It's just not fair," Emma whispered going from one extreme to the other. She started running her fingers through Lennie's hair. "There are only so many children in Hyperion Heights before they run out."

Without saying the words, everyone understood that Emma didn't really mean until the town ran out. She really meant until they came after Lennie, but she didn't want to scare her daughter.

"I'll be safe," Lennie said, somehow understanding what was going on. "I have magic and you guys."

"They have magic though too, honey," Emma said reluctantly. "But I will keep you safe, I promise you."

The room grew silent to let Emma's words sink and to digest everything that had been shared. Bizarrely, Regina hadn't said a word since the others arrived. She had greeted Ivy when she entered but had become silent afterwards aside from a gasp of shock. She was still resting one hand over her tummy but now the other was holding Lennie's hand as she wanted to feel a connection to her children at that moment.

Something more than fear was running through her mind, but Emma couldn't work out what it was when she glanced at her. When she went to ask, Ivy spoke up instead.

"At least we know Emma's protection charm on Soph's room is working. I had wondered if that was the case or if they hadn't turned up."

Finally, Regina spoke up. "Emma's magic is phenomenal." The way she said it left no room for discussion.

Cora eyed her daughter and when she realised she wasn't going to expand on her statement, she cleared her throat.

"It's getting late," she murmured. "We should think about some food. How many am I cooking for?"

She left the question open because she could see that Ivy was still very uncomfortable with having her mother there even though she had heard what had happened. However, the mothering instinct in Cora wanted everyone to stay for dinner. Ivy had already been slim when she met her, but now she was even thinner from not eating with spending so much time at the hospital. Then Victoria and Zelena had had such a traumatic day, she wanted to feed them so they could regain energy.

There was some shuffling in their seats before Victoria spoke up. "I'd like to stay if that's alright by everyone here?"

"You just love Mom's cooking," Zelena joked, trying to defuse the tension.

Even Ivy smiled a fraction. "I'll stay too," she murmured quietly which surprised everyone, but Cora tried not to make a big deal out of it.

"Okay dokay," she said simply. "Everyone good with fajitas?"

There was a murmur of agreement before Lennie piped up. "Can we watch a film?"

"Sure, honey," Emma said. "Go put one on."

Lennie slipped off of her mother's knee and headed over to the living room to turn the TV on. As the meeting was over, Ivy headed over to hang out with Lennie. Despite the heavy conversation, the two were already cracking jokes as Lennie searched for a film to watch. Well, Lennie was joking around as she wanted to cheer Ivy up who was still frowning.

After a few minutes, Lennie settled on Zootropolis as she loved the fact the bunny got to become a police officer. Emma wasn't a massive fan of the film personally as the lead character's voice reminded her of Snow's which wasn't great.

Emma went to speak to Regina, but she simply stood up and walked up to her mother and started helping her with dinner preparations by slicing up some veg. Realising she didn't want to talk, Emma made her way over to where Rumple had joined Lennie and Ivy on the sofas. Zelena and Victoria stayed behind to talk to the cooks though Regina still remained silent.

Dinner didn't take long to prepare. They set the dishes up in a row, a bowl of chicken, one of veg and one of salad. There was a plate that had three small pots of guacamole, sour cream and salsa before another plate holding the tortilla wraps.

Everyone dug in and complimented the cooks on the meal as it was absolutely delicious. The conversation was light as they ate and when it was over, Zelena waved her hands over the dirty pots to clean them.

"We're going to head off," she said afterwards.

Lennie ran over to her for a hug and surprising everyone including the woman herself, she then hugged Victoria. "Thank you for making Auntie Zee happy."

Victoria glanced over to the woman in question who was grinning before kneeling in front of the young blonde. "I promise to make her happy for as long as possible."

After that, they made their leave with Ivy following soon after. She needed to speak to Henry before he got home and knew he was at the hospital.

Soon after they put Lennie to bed, Emma and Regina retired for the evening too. As soon as the door shut behind them, Emma turned to her fiancée, ready to ask her if she was okay but Regina beat her to it with a request she never thought she'd ever hear.

Regina reached out and grasped Emma's hands tightly. There was a slight look of desperation in her eyes.

"I want you to speed up my pregnancy."


	42. Chapter 42

Emma's jaw dropped in complete surprise. "You want me to do what?"

Slowly, Regina led her to the bed where they took a seat on the edge. Regina let go of one of her hands and placed it back on her tummy but kept the other tightly in Emma's hand.

"I want you to speed up the pregnancy," she said. "Not the whole way, but maybe to 25 weeks?"

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "But why?"

Reinga swallowed. "Because hearing everything that's going on is stressing me out. I've miscarried before with less worries. I'm scared I'm going to lose them." Her breathing started to quicken. "Babies have been known to survive from as early as 24 weeks. If I went into premature labour, the baby could still survive than if something happened now."

"Ginny, honey," Emma said softly as she reached out to stroke Regina's cheek to slow her erratic breathing. "You're not going to lose the baby."

"I need you to do this, Emma, please," Regina begged. "You once said you would do this if I wanted it. I didn't think I would, but I need you to."

The blonde tried to blink the shock away, but it wasn't working. "Are you sure about this?"

Regina nodded emphatically. "I've been thinking about it all day. I love this baby and I can't lose them."

"What if it damages the baby more by skipping ahead?" Emma asked.

"I meant what I said earlier, honey, your magic is phenomenal," Regina replied. "I don't want anyone else but you to do this."

Emma was silent as she let the request sink in. "Let's go to sleep and if you still want this in the morning, we'll talk to Mom and Rumple about it to see if there is anything we should avoid. If we get the all clear, I will do it."

"Thank you," Regina said, releasing a breath of relief. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma pulled her fiancée in close and kissed her sweetly, sensing she needed comfort. The two then started slowly peeling off each other's clothes and fell under the covers. They made gentle love with Regina clinging onto the blonde so tightly she thought she would crawl inside if she could. Regina came with a soft cry before pulling Emma closer to her, falling asleep immediately in her strong and comforting embrace.

However, while Regina slept, Emma was wide awake as her brain tried to comprehend everything that had happened during the day. The fact that Gothel and Jacinda had started kidnapping innocent children was barbaric. It sent shivers of disgust down her spine at the idea of the poor, innocent children all being drained of power, but they still didn't know why. She just hoped that the other children they had mentioned were at the hospital and not hidden somewhere. However, when they'd been to the hospital to visit Sophia the day before, they hadn't heard of any children being brought in who had the same symptoms as Sophia.

Surely the hospital would have been alive with discussion if that was the case? Yet when they were yesterday, there was nothing buzzing through the halls. The children clearly weren't there but that then left another question: where were they?

Suddenly, Emma shot up in bed as an unexpected thought came to her. More specifically a place: the basement where Jacinda, well Nick, had dragged her the night they attacked her in the cellar of Roni's. If Jacinda and Gothel were behind the kidnapping, the children would either be where Gothel had been held hostage in Belfrey tower or in that basement. As the police had checked the basement for Gothel, well Eloise, they probably wouldn't think to go there again as lightning didn't strike twice.

Unable to shake the thought, she knew she needed to do something about it and what time was better than right now? Slowly, she tried to slip her arm from under Regina without disturbing her before getting dressed.

She didn't want to go alone, and she knew she couldn't wake Regina and worry her about this. She was already so stressed this would only add to it. She could ask Zelena, but she and Victoria had had a hard-enough day without adding this on top. It didn't take her long to realise there was really only one option.

Rumple.

It could only be him because, not only was he powerful enough to defeat anything that could come in their path, but he could use his cursed persona to get things done and involve the police. The only thing now was trying to figure out how to wake him without disturbing Cora at the same time.

Thinking quickly, Emma picked up her phone and started calling him. She knew he always had his phone on vibrate overnight in case he was called into the station.

"Emma?" Came the whispered response as he answered the phone after three rings.

"Living room," she whispered back before hanging up the phone.

She then made her way into the aforementioned room and flicked on a lamp before perching on the edge of the sofa. Only a minute later, Rumple shuffled his way into the room. He looked tired, clearly, he'd already been asleep, and his t-shirt was inside out.

When he saw Emma sitting on the sofa, her face full of worry, he suddenly woke up and made his way over to her. "What's wrong?"

"The missing children, are they at the hospital?" Emma asked.

Sadly, Rumple shook his head. "We don't know where they are. They're _missing_, Em," he reminded her gently.

"I think I might know where they are," Emma whispered.

Clearly Rumple wasn't expecting that when his eyes widened in shock. "Where?"

"The basement Jacinda took me," Emma revealed.

Rumple's eyes darkened. "Take me there."

Emma raised her eyebrow at his shirt and Rumple rolled his eyes before waving his hand over himself so that his shirt was righted.

The two then left a note on the table for their partners, not wanting to worry them if they woke up, before Emma took hold of Rumple's hand, transporting them to the carpark Emma had escaped through. She didn't really want to be back there as that evening hadn't been very fun, but the fact that these missing kids could possibly be there was eating her up inside. If she was one of the mothers and Lennie had gone missing, she'd never rest until she found her daughter. She owed it to the other parents.

Emma then led the way down the stairs and towards the door. She tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Mind out," Rumple murmured before waving his hand over the lock. They heard the mechanisms inside click and the door swung open, revealing a dark room aside from the flickering lap in the corner.

With another wave of his hand, Rumple illuminated the room with a giant fireball hovering above the centre of the room. It emitted enough light to see that Emma's theory had been correct. Four small girls were lying in a row in the centre of the room. Each one was covered with a thin blanket.

Sitting on a chair in the corner was a man Emma recognised in an instant. Nick.

When the fireball lit, Nick's eyes flashed opened and he pulled a gun from his pocket while he stood up.

"What do you want?" He cried, holding the gun aloft, however, with both her magic and police training, Emma's reactions were quicker. She flicked her wrist and the gun flew from his hand and into hers. When he went to take a step, she pointed it at him, her finger on the trigger.

"Take one step, and I'll shoot," she threatened.

Nick smirked and went to pull his phone out of his pocket, but again, Emma was one step ahead. She shifted the gun and shot his phone out of his hands without hitting him, making his smirk disappear. He held his hands up, realising quickly that he was in no position to barter.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Emma snapped.

"Jacinda told me to keep watch on them," he replied, his eyes wide and skin pale with fear. "I was to let her know if any of them died."

Emma let out a strangled noise. "You didn't think to take them to the hospital? They're dying!"

"It was for the cause!" Nick defended as if that would make a different.

While Emma was distracting him, Rumple pulled his phone out of his pocket and speed-dialled the station whispering down the phone the instruction on how to find the basement. Now that he was there, he recognised its place in the city.

"What cause?" Emma demanded as she walked towards him, she held her hand behind her back and conjured up a pair of handcuffs.

At the question, Nick's mouth opened and shut repeatedly. Clearly, Jacinda hadn't told him what the bigger picture was.

Emma shook her head. "You don't know, do you?" She asked rhetorically. "What do you even get out of this?"

"Ivy."

Emma almost dropped the handcuffs in shock. She was not expecting that! However, she had to recover quickly. She was a police officer, god damnit. She then allowed Sheriff Swan to take over as she managed to get the handcuffs around his wrists and pin him down on the floor without any magic required. As she took a step back, she could hear the approaching sirens, indicating the police were almost there.

Quickly, she replaced the fireball with the light and had shot at the lock on the door so that it looked like they had forced their way inside instead of magically entering. Rumple had been watching her the entire time, letting her take charge and was ridiculously impressed with what he saw.

Once the police had arrived, they called the ambulance and the four girls were taken to the hospital with the one from earlier that day.

Rogers had arrived and rushed over to Emma and relieved her of the prisoner. He was disgusted at realising Nick was a hand in the crime as the two were friends. He dragged him into the police car and turned to Emma and Rumple who had followed.

"Weaver, how did you know?" Rogers asked. There was no accusation in his voice, merely curiosity and gratefulness.

"I received an anonymous tip and couldn't wait," he replied. He then glanced at Emma. "I don't think you two have been properly introduced. Rogers, this is Sheriff Swan, she runs the station in my hometown in Maine. She's visiting for a while."

Rogers shuffled awkwardly at the proper introduction. The two had met and Rumple was aware of that, but he knew that Rogers needed to see Emma in a different way to his first impression set by Victoria.

"We've met," Rogers mumbled before becoming serious. "We owe a lot to that tip then."

Rumple nodded but Emma wasn't concentrating on that at that moment.

"Have you found the girls' parents?" Emma asked, the mother inside of her needing to know that they had been contacted.

"Three of the four have been located," Rogers said. "We're having trouble with one, but we'll get there. The hospital will be able to locate them better than we can for now. You should get home. Weaver, I'll see you in the morning."

Rumple nodded and pulled Emma away from the car so Rogers could drive the Nick to the station.

As soon as everyone had gone and they were in the carpark alone, Emma turned to Rumple. "They still don't have the right people behind it."

"No, but they have one," Rumple said. "He'll confess, I'll make sure of it."

"He's still cursed, Rumple," Emma reminded him. "Using your usual techniques won't work."

Rumple chuckled darkly. "You've not been on the other side of Weaver. He'll confess." He didn't go into any more detail before holding out his arm. "We should get home."

Emma nodded and took hold of the preferred arm. Rumple flicked his wrist and a second later, the two were back in the apartment.

"I always doubted you in Storybrooke, but you really are a good cop, Emma," Rumple said with a small smile. "Good night."

He then turned to start walking towards Cora's room when Emma remember what she and Regina had spoken about before they went to bed.

"Wait, Rumple, can I ask you something?" Emma asked, well blurted. She shifted on her feet as he stopped walking and turned back to the blonde.

"What's wrong?"

Emma swallowed nervously. "With everything going on, Regina's panicking. She wants me to speed up her pregnancy. Is it possible?"

Rumple contemplated her question for a moment before slowly nodding. "Your wish magic can do many things if you allow it. We saw from Sophia that it can't save the cursed, but you will be able to speed up the pregnancy should you want to."

"Will it hurt the baby?" Emma asked. She knew she could ask him this in the morning, but she felt like she needed to do it now while it was still fresh.

"I don't think so," Rumple replied after thinking about it. "As long as you wish with a clear mind. If you're worrying about harming the baby, even slightly subconsciously, then the worst may happen." He then paused and took a deep breath. "Personally, I think it's the right thing to do. The pregnancy is still very vulnerable and with Regina's track record, speeding it up may be safer. You can do this, Emma."

That was Rumple's second compliment of the night. It was odd but she smiled at him anyway.

"Goodnight, Rumple," she said instead of replying.

Rumple nodded and smiled. "Goodnight, Emma."

The two then parted ways and Emma returned to her room. She opened the door quietly and took in the sight. In her absence, Regina had pulled her pillow towards her once more which made Emma smile. She slipped out of her clothes before joining Regina in the bed.

Gently, she pulled the pillow out of Regina's arms and this time, the brunette didn't put up a fight.

"Where did you go?" She murmured sleepily.

"Bathroom," Emma whispered back, not wanting to worry her. She would speed up her pregnancy in the morning and then tell her.

Once that thought slipped through her mind, she pulled Regina close to her and kissed her head softly before allowing sleep to finally take over.

oOoOo

When Emma awoke the next morning, the room seemed brighter than usual and as she reached out, trying to feel for her fiancée, she came up empty. Stumped, she allowed her eyes to flutter open, but the room wasn't coming into focus. It seemed her eye perfecting spell had worn off. It usually lasted a few months before she had to reapply.

As she was still too sleepy to be casting any spells, she reached out to the bedside table and opened the draw. After scrambling around for a minute or two, she found her glasses. Just as she slipped them onto her face, the bedroom door opened slowly to reveal Regina levitating a tray in front of her.

When she saw the blonde was already awake, she smiled brightly. "Morning, sleepy head."

Emma grinned back at the brunette as she always did before sliding up the bed so that she was sitting up. "Morning, honey. What time is it?"

"Just gone ten," Regina revealed as she perched beside the blonde on the bed before waving her hand so that the tray gently rested on Emma's knee.

Looking down there were two slices of toast slathered in Nutella the way Emma loved it and a cup of tea.

"What's all this for?" Emma asked as she looked back up at the brunette.

Regina smiled. "You've been looking after everyone recently and I couldn't wake you up for the life of me this morning, so you're clearly exhausted. I just wanted to do something for you."

"I love you," Emma said simply as she pulled the brunette in for a sweet kiss.

"I love you too," Regina replied with a smile. "Now drink up before it gets cold. It's caffeinated too," she added which made Emma chuckle. "I thought you needed to be alert for later."

She shuffled uncomfortably until Emma reached out to take her hand. "I'm happy to do this if you really want this."

Regina smiled gratefully before standing up. "Eat your breakfast and get ready for the day. We can talk about it more then, okay?" She then started making her way to the door before turning around last minute. "You're cute with your glasses on."

Emma chuckled again as the door shut behind Regina. She then dug into her toast and chugged her cooling tea. Once her breakfast was over, she slipped out of bed and put her dressing gown on so she wouldn't be indecent as she headed to the bathroom.

After a quick but relaxing shower, she got dressed in a loose jumper and jeans and put her glasses back on. She didn't want to be wasting any energy on her eyes when her glasses would suffice for now. With a final stretch, she left her bedroom and entered the kitchen to see Lennie sitting at the kitchen table with her maths book with Rumple sitting beside her. It seemed he was helping her out when she was struggling.

Cora and Regina were sitting in the far corner on the sofa, clearly in a heavy discussion that Emma didn't want to interrupt. Instead, she headed over to the table and sat beside her daughter.

"Morning, monkey," she greeted after pressing a soft kiss to her head. "How did you sleep?"

Lennie looked up from her work. "Well thanks. How come you're up so late?"

Emma shrugged. "I had a late night." She then glanced at Rumple. "I thought you were needed at work this morning?"

"I've already been," Rumple said. "I had to fill out some paperwork, but the main questioning isn't until tomorrow while Rogers puts together the case."

Emma nodded but didn't ask any further questions. Instead she stood up and went to put the kettle on for a round of drinks. She knew they would need it with what was coming up.

Before long, she had four teas prepared to everyone's preference. She gave herself, Cora and Rumple caffeinated and Regina a decaff.

Cora and Regina joined the others at the table just as there was a knock on the door. Rumple headed over to answer it.

"Good morning, Ivy," he greeted as he stepped aside.

At the name, Lennie looked up and grinned. "Ivy!" She shot out of her seat and rushed over to the brunette and hugged her tightly.

"Hey, sweetie!" She said as she hugged her back.

"What are you doing here?" Lennie asked.

Ivy smiled. "I'm here to take you to see Sophia."

Regina had called Ivy that morning, asking her if she could take Lennie out of the apartment for a few hours. She hadn't gone into detail but then again, Ivy hadn't asked. She had accepted immediately as she loved spending time with Lennie.

With a few goodbyes exchanged, Ivy took hold of Lennie's hand and the two left the apartment. The door had barely shut behind them when Regina turned to her parents.

"Emma and I were talking last night," Regina began and Cora squealed.

"You've decided when you're getting married?"

Regina chuckled but shook her head. "No, not yet." She took a deep breath as she sobered up. "Actually, it's to do with the baby."

Cora's excitement slipped away and was replaced with worry. "Is everything alright?"

"For now," Regina said. She bit her lip as she tried to word what she wanted to say. In doing so, she missed the way Emma side glanced at Rumple and shook her head slightly, hoping he would understand that she didn't want Regina to know that they had already spoken about what was coming the night before.

"Honey, what's going on?" Cora asked gently. Unlike Regina, she had seen Emma and Rumple's exchanged and was highly confused. Rumple had fill her in on what had happened the night before but not Emma's last request.

Regina took a deep breath. "With everything that's going on at the moment, I'm terrified that something is going to happened to the baby. I'm only eighteen weeks. I'm still not safe," she said before taking another deep breath. "I want Emma to speed up my pregnancy to twenty-five weeks."

Cora took in the statement, but her next question wasn't the one they were expecting. "Why twenty-five?"

"Babies are viable after twenty-four," Regina said. "I want the extra week for safety." She swallowed. "Is it safe?"

"I don't see why not," Cora said after considering the question. She looked at Emma. "As long as you keep a clear mind while you wish, it'll be fine."

Emma tried not to smile at the echo of what Rumple had said the night before.

"Do you think you're up to this?" Cora asked Emma. "I can look into instead if you like."

"I can do it," Emma assured them. She looked at Regina who looked so self-assured despite the risk they were taking. "Ready?"

Regina nodded and stood up from the table. Emma took a step closer to her and took hold of Regina's hand in her left before placing her right on Regina's tummy.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, wanting to know if Regina was having any doubts.

"I'm sure," Regina promised her. "Kiss me first."

Emma smiled before leaning forward and sealing their lips together softly. She hadn't thought that she needed a kiss before this, but as soon as their lips brushed, she felt herself relaxing. Clearly, Regina knew her better than she knew herself.

"You can do this," Regina whispered softly before pecking her once again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma replied breathlessly before she centred herself.

After their kiss, Emma was so full of love for the woman that no negative thought could enter her mind. She shut her eyes to take in the moment.

_I wish Regina's pregnancy would speed up to twenty-five weeks, safely._

She knew the wish had come true when she felt Regina's tummy swell underneath her hand and heard Regina's gasp confirming it.

"It worked!"

Rumple and Cora both released a breath of relief.

"Thank goodness," Cora murmured.

Regina then pulled Emma closer to her, pressing her hand on top of Emma's hand. "You did it, I knew you could."

Emma pulled her fiancée in for a deep kiss, another surge of love flashed through her. As soon as their lips touched, Emma felt a flutter underneath her hand. She pulled back immediately.

"They kicked me!" She gasped. She moved her hand out of the way and pressed Regina's there.

Regina frowned. "They've stopped."

Smiling, Emma leant in for another kiss and again as their lips touched, the baby started to kick once more. Emma pulled back to see that Regina was tearing up.

"They're thriving," Emma said. "They're perfectly healthy."

Regina pulled Emma in for another kiss, adoring the feel of the blonde's lips on hers and the flutter in her tummy. Just knowing that she was further along in her pregnancy and at a safer stage made her feel so much better about everything.

"You know, we can find out the gender now, if you want?" Emma suggested and if it were at all possible, Regina's eyes brightened even more.

"We can!" Within seconds, Regina was pulling her phone out of her pocket and called the hospital. A few minutes later she looked up at Emma with a smile. "We can go this afternoon."


	43. Chapter 43

The wait at the hospital felt agonising even though they had only been there for ten minutes. Emma had been forcing herself not to think about the gender until Regina hit twenty weeks but now they were seconds away from finding out.

A nurse appeared out of the door in front of them.

"Roni West?"

At the call, Regina stood up and started walking towards the nurse. She hesitated when she realised that Emma wasn't following.

"Em?"

Emma's head snapped up at Regina's voice. She had completely forgotten that Regina had booked the appointment in her cursed name as that was the name on the file. Emma just had to remember to subtly wave her hand over the documents to make sure they matched the current situation which she did when the nurse was shutting the door behind them.

"This is your first pregnancy, am I right?" The nurse muttered as she flicked through the altered folders.

Regina nodded. "My first yes, my partner," she indicated Emma, "had our first two."

"How are you feeling?" The nursed asked.

"Good," Regina replied. "Keen to find out the gender."

The nurse looked up from the notes and frowned. "Your notes say you didn't want to find out at the twenty-week scan?"

Regina flashed Emma a look of confusion and Emma had to quickly step in.

"Yeah, we have a son and a daughter already, so we didn't mind either way," Emma explained, thinking on her feet. "But we were thinking on the way here that it would be nice to know. Then we can start planning their name too."

"Rightio." The nurse then put their folder down and set up the machine, asking Regina to lift up her shirt. "This is going to be cold," she warned.

Regina braced herself for the gel and shivered a fraction as it hit but when the ultrasound screen started flickering with pictures of their child, she didn't care. Emma rushed over to take her hand as the nurse started taking photos of the scan and making the odd note.

"Everything is going beautifully well," she commented. "They're developing perfectly."

Emma and Regina shared a glance at each other at hearing the confirmation that the spell hadn't affected their baby at all.

"And you're sure you want to know the gender this time?" She asked, bringing the two out of their silent communication.

"We're sure," Regina confirmed after glancing at Emma.

"Congratulations, you're going to be the mothers of a little girl," the nurse revealed and Regina let out a little squeal.

"A girl?" She repeated.

The nurse nodded. "Definitely a girl," she confirmed and pointed to how she knew. "I'll get you some photos while you clean up."

She handed Regina some tissues to wipe away any gel before she left the room.

"We're having a little girl!" Emma cried in delight. "I mean, I'd have been happy either way but, god, she's going to look just like you."

Regina chuckled. "What makes you say that?"

"Because Lennie looks like me," Emma said as if that was how it was.

"Then I hope she acts as goofy as you because Lennie is sassy like me," Regina retorted with a chuckle.

Emma leant down to give her a soft kiss as the nurse returned with the photos.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us," the nurse said as she handed over the photos along with her contact number. "The line is 24/7."

"Thank you," Emma replied as she accepted the photos and card.

They then said their goodbyes to the nurse before heading out of the maternity ward. They had already decided that they were going to stop by Sophia's room before they left and pick up Lennie on their way.

However, as they made their way through the children's ward, Regina gasped at all the new faces. In her excitement with the baby, Emma had forgotten to give Regina the update.

"Are these all the missing children?" She whispered.

Glancing around, Emma saw the four girls she had saved last night along with another girl who must have been the one that Zelena and Victoria had brought in. Emma nodded and tried to pull Regina further down the hallway, but the woman seemed to be freaking out where she stood.

"Gin, it's okay. Let's get you to Soph's room," she encouraged gently. The brunette allowed herself to be moved but her eyes were unseeing in her shock.

When they reached Sophia's room, Emma knocked quietly before entering. Looking up, Lennie grinned at her mothers' arrival.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" She asked as she bounced up to them. When she was in front of Regina, she tilted her head to the side. "You look different."

Hearing her daughter's voice pulled Regina out of herself. Blinking rapidly, she looked down at Lennie and smiled. "Yes, we decided to speed up my pregnancy a little."

Ivy's brow furrowed in confusion. "How come? Is everything alright?"

Regina nodded quickly, not wanting to worry her daughter in law. "In theory everything was fine, but I was panicking. I feel better that the baby is now viable should anything happened." She then turned to Lennie. "We found out the gender if you want to know?"

"Yes please!"

Emma chuckled at her daughter's antics and nodded at Regina who was waiting for her opinion.

"We're having a little girl," Regina revealed. "You're getting a little sister."

Lennie's smile grew. "Another girl! That's so exciting. Sophia and I can have someone else to play with." She then glanced to her niece and her smile faltered. "When she wakes up, I mean."

Regina reached out and stroked her daughter's hair before she sat down beside her. "We'll get there, honey."

Suddenly, Lennie's eyes lit up. "I had a thought!"

"Did it hurt?" Emma teased.

Lennie simply rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her mother before continuing. "Robbie used to tell me a story about a flower," she said. "She said it would heal anything. They chopped it up and fed it to the sick queen and she lived! Maybe we need that to save Sophia or maybe to cure Henry? Maybe that's what Grandpa is missing."

Emma and Ivy both looked at Regina knowing that if the flower existed, she would know.

"Is it real?" Ivy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Regina bit her lip. "I honestly don't know. I've never heard of it."

"We can ask Mom when we get home," Emma said before glancing down at her watch. "We should probably get going actually. I'm needed at work soon and we need to let Cora and Rumple know about the baby." She grinned again, unable to keep the excitement in before looking at Ivy. "You should come for a drink, get some space from the hospital."

Ivy raised her eyebrow and smirked. "So, my night can end with you erasing my memories too?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hilarious," she sassed before becoming serious. "Just think about it. Okay?"

"I will," Ivy promised and with a round of goodbyes, Emma and Regina took hold of their daughter's hand and started making their way out of the hospital.

As they walked past the other coma children, Emma had to tug on Regina's hand a little more firmly as she started to stall. Emma knew her partner wanted to ask more questions, but now wasn't the time. With a gentle pull, Regina snapped out of it and continued walking. Fortunately, Lennie had been none the wiser to what was going on. She was babbling away, telling her mothers about reading to Sophia about the BFG's adventures as they made their way home.

The gender of the baby had been revealed within seconds of walking through the front door. Both Emma and Regina were going to work up to it, but apparently Lennie wasn't having any of it. She'd ran through the door and yelled, "I'm getting a little sister!" at the top of her voice.

Cora had beamed and teared up a fraction, but Emma was fully aware that she would have reacted the same way whether it was a boy or a girl.

"I'm so happy for you!" She cried as she hugged her daughters tightly before she was pulled to the sofa by Lennie to watch TV, leaving Emma and Regina to prepare dinner.

Emma finally told Regina what had happened the night before while they cooked. Lennie was watching TV with Cora and Rumple was at the station. He'd been called in to go over the case with Rogers before their interrogation the next day.

As Emma spoke, Regina barely blinked at she stirred the vegetables in the wok. Her eyes seemed unseeing as she took in all the information and she rested one hand on her belly before glancing at Lennie.

Realising what thoughts were going through her love's head, Emma stepped forward and turned the heat under the pan down and wrapped her arms around Regina, pulling her in close.

"Lennie is safe," Emma reassured her after pressing a soft kiss to Regina's brow. "And the baby is too. We'll figure all of this out before she's born."

Regina still didn't look convinced, but she kissed Emma softly before turning back to the stove and turning the heat up once more before adding the peanut sauce to the stir fry.

oOoOo

Emma had been working for a few hours and was starting to get bored. The excitement of the new year had died down so only a handful of people were in. Only six tables were taken and only one had more than one person sitting there. Even then, there were only two men who were on their first drink and had been sitting there since Emma had taken over Remy who had commented on their drink.

She had collected the three empty glasses she had found and had also cleaned the place, wiping down all the tables and reorganising chairs, just for something to do. She had even checked the stocks of all bottles and realised they needed to reorder several bottles of beer and the whisky that seemed to get a little bit emptier every time Zelena did a shift. Then again, it was no surprise that it was her favourite tipple.

Needless to say, she was hoping something would happen to distract her form her boredom.

Just as the thought slipped through her mind, the door opened. Emma looked up to see the new arrival and grinned. It seemed Ivy had taken her suggestion as she walked in and straight up to the bar.

"I'll have a double gin and tonic," she requested after greeting the blonde. "But house gin is fine."

Emma rolled her eyes and pulled the top shelf gin down and free poured into the glass before topping up with tonic from the fridge.

"Only the best for my daughter in law," Emma chuckled, her voice low so no one could hear, as she handed over the drink.

Ivy chuckled. "_Almost_ daughter in law," she reminded her. She took a sip of the beverage and hummed in content.

"How come you're not married yet?" Emma asked, realising she'd never actually asked.

Ivy took another sip of her drink before placing it on the bar and sighing. "We thought about it so many times, before and after Soph was born. Regina kept hinting that we should get married before she was born but things kept getting in the way and before we knew it, we were parents. Then we had to look after a new-born in amongst fighting Gothel and Ella, so we never really found the time." She then paused to take another sip of her drink. "And really, Henry didn't want it without you and his grandparents there too."

At the mention of her parents, Emma pulled a face. "Let's not talk about my mother right now."

Ivy frowned. "Henry said you guys were close?"

Emma scoffed. "Not towards the end, especially after Cora arrived." She shook her head. "But it is what it is."

Realising that Emma didn't want to delve any deeper into the conversation regarding her mother, Ivy changed the subject slightly. "What about yours and Regina's wedding? Any more plans made?"

Emma shook her head. "Not really, things keep getting in the way. Plus, I want Henry there and to remember he's our son. I'd love to get married in Storybrooke, surrounded by all our friends and family. Obviously not my mother, but everyone else. But Cora's already said she thinks Regina wants to get married before the baby arrives. Now we've sped that up a fraction, there's even less time."

"You'll figure it out," Ivy said. "You could get married here at Roni's, then you don't have to pay for a venue. Then get Rumple ordained or something?"

She said it as an offhand comment, but it made something spark in Emma. She looked up at Ivy as if she was a sheer genius. "That would work! He would be great! Plus if it was here, we wouldn't have to shut for long and then there's plenty of alcohol for the after party and all the locals can come in and join the celebrations."

Ivy grinned. "It sounds like you just need to find a date that suits you both."

Before Emma could reply, a couple of customers had made their way over to the bar for another round. They were the two men who had been staring at their drinks for the past couple of hours and finally, they had decided to get another drink each.

It didn't take Emma long to pour two ales before she was back to Ivy. However, the brunette was staring at her phone, her cheeks flushed as she read the message.

"I do not want to know what sort of things my son is sending you," Emma chuckled. "If he's anything like his father, then they should be interesting to say the least."

Ivy laughed as she put her phone on the bar. Emma noticed that she put it face down so that she wouldn't be able to see any incoming messages.

"He's just passing some time before he goes to work," she said. "He's working for a few hours tonight and then we're going to see Sophia together in the morning."

"So things are going well considering?" Emma asked before nodding to Ivy's now empty glass. "Another?"

"Please," Ivy requested and Emma set to making her a second and got herself a beer out the fridge at the same time. "Yeah, things are great aside from the Jacinda aspect of it all. I haven't told him to end it with her though; I don't want to alert her to it. She knows something is going on, she's crazy but she isn't stupid, but she doesn't have any proof yet, which is what she's searching for. As long as we don't spend much time outside the hospital together, we're good."

At the mention of the hospital, Ivy's eyes darkened. Emma could see that she wanted to talk about something, but she didn't want to rush her. Instead, she just casually sipped her beer, waiting for the brunette to open up to her. She had found that most of the time, you had to go at Ivy's speed if you wanted information out of her.

"Rogers stopped by the hospital after you and Regina left," she revealed after taking a few sips of her drink. "He wanted to tell me, and Henry but he wasn't there, that the other girls who had arrived had been found together but were in different stage to Sophia. Each of them had an abnormal heartbeat, just like Soph, but the odd part was the girl who Zelena brought in," Emma noticed that Ivy didn't mention her mother, "had an accelerated heartbeat. The doctor also said they're looking to bring in an expert if they don't improve. Rogers said they'd arrested someone found with the girls, but he wouldn't tell me who."

Emma bit her lip, wanting to tell Ivy what was going on. After all, she deserved to know who had been arrested in a crime that was linked to her daughter. Yet Emma was reluctant because she then knew that she'd have to tell her his reasons for doing it.

But Ivy was already a step ahead. "You know." It wasn't a question, nor was it an accusation. It was merely a statement.

With a deep breath, Emma nodded. She put her beer on the bar and linked her fingers together.

"Look, I'll tell you, but you can't tell Henry, okay?" Emma requested. "He'll flip."

However, that was clearly enough information for Ivy to work it out.

"Nick?"

Emma nodded slowly. "Yes."

Ivy scoffed and slammed her drink on the bar a fraction harder than she intended as the liquid flew and spilt but she ignored it.

"That son of a bitch!" She cried. "J's got him wrapped around her finger. I just don't get what's in it for him? She can't have offered him anything because she's head over heels in crazy love with Henry."

Again, Emma bit her lip, giving away that she knew more than she was revealing.

"Will you just tell me, please?" Ivy asked. She'd had enough of Emma holding back information.

"You won't like it," Emma warned her.

Ivy sighed. "Emma, my daughter is in a coma and my fiancé is cursed to be with our enemy. There's a lot going on that I don't like. I'm used to it."

Realising Ivy had a point, Emma knew she needed to come out with it.

"I don't know the full details, but he said he gets you out of this," Emma said slowly, trying to read Ivy's reaction as she spoke.

Her mouth dropped in shock and she let out a strangled noise before her eyes flashed up to Emma's. "He's awake. He must be."

Now that wasn't what Emma was expecting. When she'd last spoken about Nick to Regina, Regina had said that Henry and Hansel were friends. Practically best friends after travelling around Agrabah together. Surely there was no way that his so-called best friend would try and steal his woman?

"He has feelings for me," Ivy said, as if reading Emma's mind. "He always has. We grew up together, everyone thought we were going to be together but then he went travelling to find himself and by the time he returned, I was with Henry. I've never been interested in him, and his sister was horrible to Ana so that put me off them even more." She laughed humourlessly. "It doesn't surprise me that Ella would offer me up as a prize. If I was distracted by Nick, then she could keep Henry."

As Emma listened, another plan was forming. "So, Nick wants to be with you?"

Ivy nodded slowly, a little confused as she thought she'd explained it rather clearly. "Yes?"

"Then it's simple," Emma said. "We get Rumple to tell him during the interrogation that Jacinda wants you and your daughter dead. He won't stand for it and then he'll rat her out. Rogers will be on her in seconds."

Ivy shook her head. "I wish it were that simple."

"Ivy, I was a cop. I know how this works," Emma said as she pulled out her phone to text Rumple. "Leave this with me."

oOoOo

When Emma awoke the next morning, she was rather happy to feel Regina in her arms. Despite the long sleep the day before meaning she felt well rested, waking up to an empty bed was a feeling she wasn't used to. It surprised her how much she craved it. When she had been with Hook, she could give or take sleeping next to him, even when they'd been happy.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Regina greeted when she realised Emma was awake.

Instead of replying, Emma pulled Regina close to her and kissed her soundly. Morning breath didn't phase her as she slipped her tongue over Regina's lower lip, asking for entrance which was immediately granted.

As they pulled back, Emma saw the serene look on Regina's face.

"What was that for?" She asked.

Emma grinned and pulled her in for another mind-blowing kiss. "Do I need a reason to kiss my beautiful fiancée?"

Regina chuckled as she brought her hand up to start trailing her fingers lightly on Emma's hip, loving the way she shivered at the touch. "No, I was just curious."

"I love you," Emma stated simply before biting her lip. "I want to plan the wedding. As much detail as we can by the end of the day."

Chocolate eyes snapped up to meet the dazzling green. "Yeah?"

Emma's lips grew to a small smile. "Yeah."

Overcome with love for the blonde, Regina pulled her close and proceeded to make gentle love to her until the two were covered in a light sheen of sweat, clinging to each other.

When they heard voices coming from the living room, they realised they should probably get out of bed and start the day. After a quick shower, where they may or may not have had round two, they finally made it into the kitchen where Lennie and Cora were eating breakfast. Rumple was at the station already, getting ready for the interrogation.

"Morning, dears," Cora greeted.

"Morning, Mom," Emma replied. "Hey, monkey," she added after pressing a kiss to Lennie's head while Regina prepared their breakfast.

"You two are up late," Lennie commented.

Emma and Regina shared a glance and a smile. They only turned away when they saw Cora looking at them with her eyebrow raised. She was well aware why they had been up late as, in her moment of passion, Regina hadn't cast the silencing charm.

Realising what Cora was implying, Emma quickly changed the subject. "We've decided to get the wedding planned today."

"Can I help?" Lennie asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

"We've been counting on it, monkey," Emma assured her.

The girl then shot back on her chair. "Let me go get my colouring pencils so we can have everything colour-coordinated."

Emma chuckled at her daughter before looking at Regina. "That organisation is all your genes."

"As it should be," she said with a laugh.

Soon enough, Lennie was back with her crayons and paper and Emma and Regina were digging into tea and toast. After Emma suggested the ceremony being held at Roni's, Cora and Regina immediately agreed. It made the most sense as it was free to use with Regina owning the place, as Victoria happily had handed over the deeds after starting to date Zelena. Cora had said she would take both of them shopping for a dress though both said they wanted something simple.

"Do I get a dress?" Lennie asked.

"Of course," Emma said. "We can't have our flower girl wearing something from her wardrobe."

Emma waited for the words to sink in and when they did, Lennie glanced between her mothers and squealed. "You guys are amazing."

"I'm sure Zelena will be a bridesmaid whether we ask her to or not," Regina joked. "But we can have her and Ivy if you want to fill out the ceremony."

"I'm easy on that," Emma said. "As long as I get to see you walk up an aisle towards me, I don't mind."

Regina grinned as she noted something down on the pad before Lennie went over it in red.

Cora glanced at her own notes. "All we need now is someone to officiate."

"I'm one step ahead of you," Emma said. "Ivy and I were talking about it yesterday and we thought maybe Rumple. That way, he's part of the wedding too but not taking the role of the father of the bride."

Again, Regina smiled when she heard Emma taking her feelings towards Rumple into an account. Yes, she was starting to see him as a father figure, she'd even called him 'Dad', but he'd never replace her daddy.

As Emma suggested it, the man himself walked through the door. However, within seconds, they knew now was not the time to share their idea.

Rumple's eyes were blank, and his face was red.

"Sweetheart?"

"Grandpa?"

Cora and Lennie called out, both trying to snap him out of himself.

Rumple swallowed. "Nick confessed everything," he said. "He said they drugged the kids because they're searching for _the one_." He then looked up and made eye contact with Regina and then Emma. "He named Jacinda and Eloise. The city is on high alert for their arrest."


	44. Chapter 44

Despite Rumple's announcement, Emma wasn't allowing it to get in the way of their wedding. They had finally settled on a date, the first of March, which was only six weeks away and even though they had the venue sorted out, there were still so many things to plan.

Firstly, with the police still on high alert for Jacinda and Gothel, Rumple was having to spend every spare minute either at the station or on patrol which meant that Emma hadn't been able to ask him to officiate the wedding yet. When he got home on the evenings, as he was spending more time at the apartment for extra protection for his family, he was too exhausted and would just eat with rapidly shutting eyes before retiring to bed. Even Cora was having trouble finding time to suggest it as he was asleep before she went to bed and had left before she got up in the mornings.

With Rumple so busy, Cora had taken to searching for Henry's cure alone, going through every magic book she had brought with her. She had even gone to the library in town to look up old Greek mythology as she had based spells on in the past but even then, she was coming up empty. One evening, Emma had mentioned Lennie's suggestion of the flower, but Cora had simply smiled sadly before shaking her head.

"It doesn't exist," she'd said with a frown. "Or at least I'm ninety percent sure it doesn't, but if we run out of options, that'll be our next idea."

Emma had nodded and allowed Cora to change the subject back to the wedding which worked as there was still a few more details they needed to refine. Ivy and Zelena had immediately agreed to be bridesmaids when they were asked. The former had squealed with delight at being asked. The witch, however, had simply nodded as if she knew it was coming all along which had just made Emma roll her eyes.

Cora assigned each bride a bridesmaid to join her with dress shopping. Unfortunately for Lennie, Cora had said she wasn't allowed to go shopping with her mothers because everyone knew she wouldn't be able to keep their dresses a secret from the other. She was Snow White's granddaughter after all. A fact that Regina still begrudgingly accepted which just made Emma laugh.

As they had suggested, Ivy hadn't told Henry any of the wedding plans yet, just that he needed to be free on the first of March. He had just agreed and didn't even question it. In fact, he didn't even comment on it, simply nodded.

Everyone was ridiculously worried about him with everything that was going on. It wasn't every day that your girlfriend was wanted by the police for crimes against sweet innocent children, including your own child. Jacinda and Gothel's faces were plastered all over the city with the words 'wanted for questioning for crimes against children' blearing across them. It wasn't really surprising that he was taking it pretty badly.

He ended up in Roni's almost every night. He didn't get drunk, not even close, but he always had a whisky chased by a beer before leaving ten minutes later. No matter how hard Emma and Regina tried, either together or on separate shifts, they couldn't get him to talk. Sabine had even tried as she was currently cursed to be Jacinda's supposed best friend, but even she couldn't get anything out of him.

Ivy had said that when they were at the hospital together, he was rather mute. She could get a few words out of him, but most of the time, he would just pull her close and kiss her, needing to feel her. Admittedly, Ivy wasn't really complaining but she was ridiculously worried about him. With his need for contact with Ivy, she wasn't able to ask him any questions about Jacinda either.

A month passed and nothing was heard from her. Rogers was on Henry's back more than his shirt as he tried to pry information out of him, convinced that he would be in contact with his girlfriend who had seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. Henry had been brought into questioning at least once a week, but he still didn't know anything. Despite knowing that she was possibly behind his daughter's illness, his cursed self was telling him that he loved her for a reason, even if he couldn't find the reason at that moment.

On similar lines, with Victoria revealing that she wasn't on their side anymore, Jacinda naturally didn't keep her informed on her whereabouts. Emma was a little annoyed that their golden idea of bringing Victoria to their side to play double spy had been flushed down the toilet. However, she couldn't deny that Zelena was much happier now, but she didn't really want to talk about it. She was adjusting to say the least.

However, as previously thought, planning the wedding was a welcome distraction from everything that was going on. Emma had finally recast the eye correcting spell so that she could stop wearing her glasses, even if Regina had found them cute, but they were getting rather bothersome. Plus she didn't want to still be wearing them by the time the wedding came around, or even shopping for the dresses as she felt like it would ruin the aura.

Cora had decided to take Emma dress shopping first with Ivy as her chosen bridesmaid. It had confused Emma at first as she had presumed that Zelena would have been the one after the time they spent together in Wonderland. However, she then realised that this was a family event first and foremost, so it made more sense for Zelena to be Regina's bridesmaid as they were biologically sisters. Still, Emma was fractionally disgruntled before realising that Ivy had become family over the past few months too. She was both a daughter and sister rolled into one.

Cora had found four shops that she thought would hold the prefect dress for her daughters. There were so many styles and possibilities, there had to be something.

As soon as Emma stepped through the door of the first shop, she glanced around the room in awe before biting her lip.

"There's a lot of dresses in here!" She commented, a hint of fear in her voice.

The assistant saw them and stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Kacey. Which of you is the bride?"

Emma stepped forward and raised her hand nervously. "That would be me."

Kacey nodded. "Do you have any style in mind?"

The blonde shook her head. She had even less idea this time than when she married Hook. That dress was chosen by Snow and she didn't mind it, but she probably wouldn't have chosen it herself if she'd had to. "Anything that's not frilly or covered in feathers. Though I suppose that doesn't narrow anything down."

The young assistant chuckled. "Why not have a browse through and see what you like? Call me over if you find anything."

Emma nodded and murmured her thanks before Kacey headed into the back to give them space. Looking around the room, Emma let out a low whistle. "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

Ivy bit her lip anxiously. "Then we'd better get started. I feel like we might be here for a while."

And a while they were. Emma tried of four different dresses in the first shop, each one of them were a different style. The first was a fishtail which Emma had on for about forty seconds before raising her eyebrows.

"I will fall over in no time," she said before scuttling back to the dressing room and true to fashion, just as she got to the curtain, she tripped. "See!"

It took all of Ivy's strength not to laugh. Cora merely rolled her eyes.

The next dress was ridiculously poofy and Emma felt ridiculous. It was the kind of style that Snow would have said she looked like a proper princess in which made her feel even worse about it.

The third dress got a nod of approval from Cora, but they all knew it wasn't the one. It was short sleeved and backless which Emma really liked but it was still a fraction too frilly at the bottom.

"The top half I love," Emma said, "but I'm still not a fan of the bottom."

Kacey nodded and went to start looking for more backless dresses while Emma tried the last one of the four selected. Again, it was short sleeved with a lace bodice but after the lace finished at waist, it poofed before falling to the grown which gave the impression of large hips which she wasn't a fan of.

Emma looked up at Cora and Ivy and shook her head just as Kacey came back empty handed.

"I'm really sorry but that is the only backless dress we have in store at the moment," she revealed.

"That's alright," Cora said. "We should be getting going anyway. I should be back with the other bride tomorrow."

If the assistant was surprised, she didn't show it. She simply smiled and helped Emma out of the final dress. When the blonde was back in her jeans, she felt much better until she remembered they hadn't actually done shopping and Cora had only said that as to not offend the assistant.

As they walked towards the second shop, Emma still wasn't feeling optimistic, even though she had more of an idea to what she wanted for her dress but again, this shop only had two backless dresses. One had long sleeves which Emma didn't want and the other was too poofy again. With a sigh, they left and headed to the next one.

Fortunately, this shop had more choices but again, Emma still didn't find _the one_. There was one that she thought was practically perfect, but Cora and Ivy weren't convinced. The dress itself was beautiful with a lace bodice and a deep v at the font and backless but the bottom still didn't seem to fall as nicely as they had imagined.

"It's an almost," Cora said before they headed out.

Emma was starting to get nervous now that they wouldn't find something. "At this rate, I'll be going in my jeans," she muttered as they walked towards the last store.

Cora's head snapped to the side, a look of pure horror on her face. "You will not!"

Emma just laughed and walked into the shop.

"Good afternoon. I'm Isabella, how can I help?" The assistant asked as Emma walked through the door.

"Hey, I'm Emma and I'm getting married in two weeks so I'm looking for a dress," Emma replied.

Isabella nodded and pointed her to a seat at the other side of the table. That was different from the last few places who had just gone with a verbal discussion. She pulled a notepad towards her and flicked to a new page which was split into different boxes.

"I like to separate the aspects of the dress," she explained, "so that I know what best to look for." She raised her pen at the sleeves box. "Preference?"

"Not long," Emma said. "But sleeves of some kind. No longer than here." She pointed to edge of her t-shirt sleeves as an indication.

Isabella nodded and took some notes before asking for the other styles and finishes that Emma wanted.

"I've got some ideas," she said with a smile. "But I'm confident the first one will be perfect. Come with me."

Emma raised her eyebrow at her confidence but nodded. She turned to Ivy and Cora and smiled hopefully.

"Fingers crossed for dress one thousand!" Ivy called behind her retreating back. Emma may or may not have flipped her off as she walked away.

As soon as the dress was on, she knew it was the one. It had a lace bodice with a shallow v neckline which showed off a little cleavage but not too much to look vulgar. There were no sleeves as such. It was an inch-thick strap that continued the lace pattern. The dress was backless aside from a small button to keep it up at the top. The dress pinched in at the waist, hugging her figure beautifully before flowing straight down. The dress swirled around her feet and when she put the heels on that she had already spotted, she knew it would gently brush the floor.

"If they don't like this, I swear I'll cry," Emma muttered which made Isabella laugh.

"If they don't, I'll quit," she retorted, once again showing her confidence. Emma wondered if she was someone from the Enchanted Forest or just someone who lived in Hyperion Heights. Either way, Emma liked her. "Show time."

With a deep breath, Emma stepped out the dressing room and toward the podium where Ivy and Cora were waiting. As soon as she came into view, their jaws dropped, their previous conversation forgotten.

"Emma, you are absolutely stunning," Ivy whispered breathlessly. "I can't believe how beautiful you look."

Emma then turned to Cora, knowing her opinion was important, but it seemed for the first time since Emma had met her, she was at a loss for words.

"Mom?" She said softly, trying to prompt a response as her silence was a little unnerving.

Cora slowly stood up and made her way over to Emma. She took hold of both of her hands and looked her in the eye.

"You look perfect," she whispered hoarsely, so overcome with emotion. "I am so proud to call you my daughter. I cannot wait for it to become official."

At her words, Emma started to tear up. She pulled one of her hands free to wipe away at the tears.

"I can't wait either," Emma replied before turning to Isabella. "I'll take it."

Arrangements were made for a final fitting before the ceremony and a deposit was put down. They finished off their trip with Cora treating the two for lunch before Ivy went back to the hospital and Emma and Cora returned home.

"How was it?" Regina asked when they entered in.

"I found one," Emma replied after kissing her in greeting. "But I'm obviously not going to tell you about it."

"Boo, you're no fun," Regina teased.

"All I'll say is I just hope you're easier to shop for," Cora said.

It turned out Regina _was_ much easier to buy for, but she was a lot more dramatic. She had dreamt of the perfect wedding dress for years. Secretly, she had started glancing through magazines when she had been with Robin, but things had never come from it with his death. Though as she thought more on it, she realised that even if he hadn't died, they most likely would never have made it down the aisle and if they did, it wouldn't have lasted. She loved him, adored him even, yet those feelings didn't even come close when she thought about how she felt about Emma. Everything she felt towards her was multiplied by infinity. Yes, that included her anger on the odd occasions, but she hadn't been angry at the blonde in a very long time. It was rather impressive if she said so herself. Then again, they didn't have Henry around to argue over anymore and they hadn't yet had a parenting argument over Lennie. There was still time, but she doubted it would arise.

As the brunette knew what she wanted, she was rather excited to start shopping. This also meant she knew exactly what she didn't want. They went into the first shop as they did the day before and Regina made Kacey cry within twenty minutes as she didn't seem to understand the brunette's wishes. Zelena had to drag her out the shop while Cora apologised.

She was just as chaotic in the next two shops. She tried on at least ten dresses in each, and every single one was apparently appalling, and she refused to try on two. By the time they reached the final shop, Zelena was ready to strangle her sister and she hadn't wanted to do that in years.

As soon as she stepped through the front door of the final shop, Regina walked over to Isabella's desk and took a seat.

"Hi," Isabella greeted. "You must be Emma's fiancée."

Cora had advised her that they would be back the next day.

"That's me," Regina replied with a smile. "Regina." She held out her hand and shook Isabella's politely.

Isabella then pulled her notepad out ready once more, her pen poised to write. "What style would you like?"

"I'd like a love heart neckline and lace sleeves," Regina said immediately, her eyes alight with excitement. "It should pinch in at the under the bust before flowing to the floor." She had had to amend her wishes slightly for the dress to accommodate for the pregnancy. "The other incompetent fools couldn't follow a simple request."

Isabella chuckled at Regina's efficiency and considered her instruction for a moment before smiling confidently. "I know the perfect one."

She noted down Regina's request before disappearing into back, leaving the three behind to talk amongst themselves.

"If she gets this wrong, I'm going to scream," Regina huffed.

"Gina, will you calm down?" Cora asked exasperatedly. "The unnecessary stress isn't good for the baby. You know that."

Absentmindedly, Regina rested her hand over her bump. Now at thirty-one weeks, she was starting to waddle around and part of her was tempted to ask Emma to speed it up again so that she could meet their daughter. They had almost come up with a name but hadn't fully agreed yet.

She sighed. "I know. It's just the wedding is two weeks away and I still don't have a dress."

"Not to worry!" Isabella called as she entered the room holding a dress delicately in her arms. "Come try it on."

Nervously, Regina followed the assistant and allow her to help her into the dress. As soon as Isabelle weaved the back, Regina knew it was the one. She just hoped the others would agree.

When she stepped out of the dressing room and headed towards the platform, Cora and Zelena both gasped and started to tear up. The moment was too serious to even tease the witch about it.

"Gina, you look beautiful!" Zelena breathed.

Regina smiled softly and looked down. She felt beautiful. The dress had the sweetheart neckline she wanted and the lace sleeves, but it was off the shoulder style and the lace sleeves hooked over her middle fingers to they wouldn't loosen. The dress dropped all the way to the floor and pooled around her ankles. Even with her heels, it would trail behind her slightly. At first, she was worried she might trip over the fabric, but she had been a Queen in a past life, she'd walked in much worse.

"This is the one," Cora said, not leaving room for discussion. "I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful!"

"If Emma doesn't cry when she sees you, she needs her eyes testing," Zelena added, making Regina chuckle.

"I love it," she said as she twirled around before turning to Isabella. "I'll take it."

Isabella smiled as she took down the dress code and they arranged a fitting just like they had with Emma the day before.

Shopping for Zelena and Ivy's bridesmaid dresses was a lot easier than shopping for wedding dresses. The same was said for Lennie too. It was quickly decided that their dresses would match their magic, but in the pastel form. They also decided that they would buy dresses that suited both of them as Zelena was curvier than Ivy. Plus, they were sure that they wouldn't make a dress for Lennie that was a similar style to the others.

They decided to make a girl's day out of it and decided to go out for lunch afterwards. Emma had suggested going before but Zelena had scoffed it off.

"I am not trying on dresses after eating! I'll be bloated as hell."

Emma rolled her eyes but accepted it. Food would come after dress shopping.

They found Lennie's dress first. It was ivory to match her mothers' dresses with short sleeves. It finished just below her knees and there was a pastel pink sash around the waist which complemented her shade of magic.

Zelena's dress was found next. It was an elegant mint green satin dress that clung to her in all the best ways. It was a halter neck but there was a slit between her breast which she was a fan of.

"It's sweet but sexy at the same time," she said as she sashayed around the room. "I love it."

Like Emma, it took Ivy a little bit longer to find a dress. She suddenly became rather self-conscious about what she wore despite having a figure to die for.

"I just don't like my arms," she said as they scanned the shelves.

"I've found something," Regina said as she pulled a dress towards her and walked towards Ivy. "Try it on."

The younger brunette eyed the dress for a second before accepting it and going to the fitting room. Five minutes later, she returned wearing the dress and a bright smile.

"Regina, you're a genius," she gushed. "I love it."

It was a pale blue cold shoulder dress. There was a thin strap at the top to keep the dress up and a wider sleeve covering the top of her arms which is where she said she didn't like. It pinched her hips before falling straight down to the floor. The material was light and she felt like a princess.

Cora released a breath of relief. "Thank god we've got them all."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "We're stilling missing yours." She then pulled a couple of hangers towards her and held them out. "I found these earlier and knew they would be perfect for you."

Nervously, Cora took hold of them and followed Ivy into the dressing room to change while Ivy put her jeans back on. Another five minutes passed and Cora walked out wearing her deep purple blazer and dress combo. The jacket stopped above her waist giving an emphasis to her perfect hourglass figure and the dress stopped just below the knee.

"You look stunning, Mother," Regina stated before looking to Emma. "You've got a good eye."

"You look so pretty, Grandma!" Lennie added before going over to give her a hug. "Everyone is going to look so beautiful!" She then frowned for a second. "Well, I _think_ Moms will, I've not seen their dresses." She continued to sulk until Cora promised her ice cream with their dinner.

When they finally go home, they were rather surprised to see Rumple home already.

"There are my girls!" He greeted as he came over to give Cora a kiss and the others a hug before picking Lennie up for a cuddle. "How was dress shopping?"

"It was great," Emma said. "Actually, before I forget, Rumple, we wanted to ask you something."

Rumple slowly put Lennie down and glanced between Emma and Regina. "Yes?"

Emma smiled reassuringly at him. "We were wondering if you would officiate the wedding. Will you?" She added when she realised she hadn't actually asked a question.

Rumple swallowed. "Really?"

Regina nodded. "We'd really like it. Then the whole thing is a family occasion."

"I would be honoured," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Just point me to where to register."

And with that, all the wedding plans were made. All they had to do now was wait until the actual ceremony and hope to god that nothing would get in the way. But with Jacinda and Gothel nowhere to be seen, they should be in the clear, right?


	45. Chapter 45

Before they knew it, the final two weeks passed by and the wedding was upon them. In that time, Rumple had finally become certified to officiate the wedding. He had also managed to find a fifteen-minute break to go rent a tux from the store nearby. However, it had taken all his power of persuasion to be able to convince the chief of police to allow him to take the day off for the wedding as they were still ridiculously far away from closing the children case with Jacinda and Gothel's disappearance acts. The only way he'd been able to get the day was when he revealed that it was his daughter's wedding. The chief of police was still reluctant, but he knew he couldn't decline family events; it would set a bad precedent.

Emma and Regina selected their wedding rings a week before the wedding. As their engagement rings were rather detailed, they decided to go simple with their bands. They went with an identical slim white gold band, each, with no other detailing. They would fit underneath their engagement rings nicely.

The following day was Emma's dress fitting which went perfectly. The dress fit her like a glove and she truly felt like the princess she was. When she turned and saw Ivy smiling, she knew it was worth it. The other woman was struggling to find things to smile at with everything going on. Emma was glad that she was able to bring a smile to Ivy's face, no matter how fleeting, the younger woman looked evermore gaunt as Sophia's condition showed no improvement.

Regina had her dress fitting two days before the wedding as she had somehow convinced herself that her pregnancy bump would grow far too much to have the fitting before then and the day before the wedding was pushing too late. As predicted, it went just as smoothly as Emma had described hers. Isabella at the dress shop worked wonders.

Their flowers had been delivered the day before the wedding day. They had decided on white and pink lilies. Well, Regina had chosen the flowers and Emma had gone along with it as she didn't have a clue about what flowers looked good. Snow had selected them for her wedding with Hook.

They decided on not throwing a big bachelorette party for the two as Regina didn't want to go through the motions while pregnant. Emma had promised her that they could make up for it after the baby was born.

So, the night before, Regina was dragged to the apartment above Roni's, which was really Zelena's apartment, to spend the night with her sister and Margot while Emma stayed behind at their apartment with Cora and Lennie.

Emma had been highly reluctant about it all because she thought it was a ridiculous notion. There was absolutely nothing traditional about their wedding, so why did they have to follow the 'rules' the night before?

It wasn't surprising, when it came time for Regina to leave, that Emma held onto her hand tightly.

"You're not leaving," she said adamantly. "You shouldn't have to."

"You'll see her tomorrow," Cora reminded her. Her eyebrow raised in mirth, clearly enjoying watching Emma freak out slightly.

The blonde blushed but held her ground. "I know, but–"

"I'll miss sleeping beside you too," Regina said, cutting Emma off as she understood most of the reason why the blonde didn't want her to leave. She pulled her closer and slipped her arms around her neck, teasing the hairs at the nape of her neck as she knew it would relax her. "I love you."

Emma smiled bashfully and relaxed into the touch before she pulled her soon-to-be wife towards her, sealing their lips together. "I love you more." She kissed her again sweetly. "I'm so excited."

"Me too." She chuckled as Emma stole another kiss. "You know, the sooner you let me go, the sooner it's tomorrow."

The blonde raised her eyebrow. "That theory is flawed but I guess I have no option than to let you go." She pouted. "Have a good night with Zee."

"I will," Regina said, still smiling softly. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be the one in white."

"Me too," Emma replied with a laugh and after another kiss, Emma finally let the brunette go.

Regina took a step back and winked before flicking her wrist and disappearing in her signature cloud of purple.

Cora then stepped forward with two glasses of Emma's favourite red wine and a glass of raspberry squash for Lennie. "Let the evening of fun begin!"

The fun included applying face and hair masks and lying back on the sofa with cucumber on their eyes. When Cora put the plate on the table, Lennie automatically started to eat it, thinking it was a snack. She was used to healthy snacks of either cucumber or carrots sticks when watching films with having Cora and Regina around all the time to question it.

"No, honey, you're meant to put it on your eyes," Cora explained with a chuckle.

Lennie's brows furrowed as she glanced between the cucumber on the plate and her grandmother. Her face showed the expression that she thought her grandma was completely barmy. "Why?"

"Umm…" Cora realised she didn't know the meaning behind it. She simply shrugged. "I saw it on TV once."

Emma laughed at the exchange and picked up two slices of cucumber and placed them on her eyes. "The cucumber is meant to relax you, or something. Like this, Len," she said as she leant back on the sofa.

Despite still being ridiculously confused, Lennie copied her mother, laughing the entire time.

After the masks came were done and their faces and hair were feeling nice and refreshed, Cora decided it was time for nails. Lennie put on a film while Cora painted Emma's nails a pale pink which wouldn't stand out harshly against their dresses.

At eight o'clock, Emma put Lennie to bed. Despite being excited for the next day, Lennie was surprisingly rather calm as she slipped into bed.

"I'm so happy for you and Mom," she murmured as she settled in. She was cuddling Chip, the teddy bear that Regina had bought her for her birthday.

Emma smiled softly and stroked her daughter's hair in an attempt to relax her. "Me too, honey."

"We'll break the curse soon," Lennie said, speaking well beyond her years. "Then we can go get Baron and go back to Storybrooke."

With all the chaos going on, Emma had almost forgotten about her daughter's pet Bandersnatch who was still back in Wonderland.

"We will be able to get him, right?" Lennie asked, breaking her mother's thoughts.

"I promise," Emma replied. "I'll go get him myself once we're settled. Okay?"

Lennie nodded as she yawned. She rolled over to get comfortable as Emma continued stroking her hair. After five minutes, Lennie's eyes fluttered shut and her breaths became even. Gently, Emma stood up and pressed a soft kiss to her temple before walking out of the room.

Once back in the living room, she accepted the refilled glass of wine from Cora and sat down. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Cora asked after taking a sip of her wine.

"Excited," Emma replied with a small smile.

Cora raised her eyebrow slightly. "Then why do you look a little apprehensive?"

"It's not what you think," Emma said quickly, holding her empty hand up. "I love and adore Regina and I cannot wait to marry her. It's more becoming a wife again that I'm nervous about. It kind of made things go to shit last time."

"Then it's a good job you're marrying Regina," Cora said simply. "You two are a match made in heaven." She reached out and took hold of Emma's hand. "You've both faced such darkness but come through it. You're the best mothers to Henry and Lennie and the new baby whose name you still refuse to tell me."

Emma chuckled as Cora's face narrowed in mock frustration. "That's because we haven't decided but when we do," she smirked, "we still won't tell you."

Before Emma knew it, Cora was pulling the wine out of her hand and tickling her. Emma was gasping for breath as she laughed her heart out, her previous fears forgotten as she giggled the night away with her mother.

oOoOo

Emma stared at herself in the mirror, trying to keep her breaths even as Cora fastened the top of her dress at the nape of her neck. She didn't want to get ahead of herself with the day, there was still the potential for things to go wrong. Henry may not turn up or people could crash the pub during the ceremony.

The ceremony itself wasn't due to be big. They only had their family with a few extra guests that Emma had suggested so the room wasn't completely empty. Margot had been able to invite Tilly as the two were inseparable and Regina had invited Remy and Sabine just to fill out the room. Much to Ivy's dismay, Victoria would also be in attendance, but Emma had already said that Victoria would be with Zelena on Regina's side and Ivy would be on Emma's with Henry.

"All done," Cora announced as she pulled Emma's neatly curled hair back over her shoulders to dangle down her back. She had one side weaved back in a complicated pattern that Cora had done so that part of her face was clear. Cora had also done her makeup but had kept it natural with a light brown smoky eye to bring out the green in her eyes and a pale pink lip. "You're so beautiful."

Emma blushed at the compliment. "It's all your handy work, Mom. I can't take the credit."

Cora smiled. "You're the perfect canvas, my dear."

"You look so pretty, Mom!" Lennie called from where she was sitting on Emma's bed. She looked adorable in her dress and Cora had curled her hair the same way she had Emma's.

"Not as pretty as you, monkey," Emma replied with a grin before turning back to Cora. "Thank you for helping me get ready and for last night. I know it made more sense for you to be with Regina with you walking her down the aisle and everything," Emma swallowed, "but I'm glad you were here."

Emma and Regina had discussed how the actual wedding would go a few nights after they had finally set the date, regarding who would walk down the aisle or if both of them should get to, but Emma had put the conversation to bed quite easily.

"I've done the whole being walked down the aisle," she'd said. "My dad isn't here to do it, so I don't really want to do it without him." Despite everything that had happened between her and Snow, Emma missed David. The two had never fallen out despite Snow's antics. Whilst David was more like a brother or friend than a father, Emma did truly love and miss him.

"My father isn't here to do it either," Regina had replied sadly. "Well not the father I'd like to do it." She sighed. "I mean, I know Rumple is really my father, but I don't quite feel comfortable with him doing it yet."

"What about Cora?" Emma had suggested. "She'd love it."

Slowly, Regina smiled and agreed, but she didn't ask Cora until the day before the wedding as she wanted it to be a surprise and a surprise it was. Cora had burst into tears and hugged her daughter for dear life.

"Exactly as you said, my dear," Cora said, pulling Emma out of her memories. "I'm walking Gina down the aisle and I'm helping you get ready. I'm fulfilling both parental roles."

"Well, still thank you," Emma said, swallowing her words so that she didn't cry and ruin Cora's makeup.

Cora glanced at her watch. "We have another ten minutes until it's time to leave."

Emma smiled. "Let's just hope things are going smoothly for Regina."

oOoOo

However, at Roni's, things weren't going as smoothly as Emma hoped.

Zelena had woken up late which had put a delay on pretty much everything. Regina had everything planned to the second and everything got pushed back at least fifteen minutes. Margot was trying to calm her auntie down, but it wasn't going down very well.

"Roni, please calm down!" She begged. "Think of the baby." Despite how confusing it must be for her, Margot hadn't questioned how her auntie was pregnant. She had simply congratulated the two and moved on. Perhaps somewhere in her knew of magic.

"We're running out of time!" Regina all but screamed in frustration. "We have to be downstairs in fifteen minutes and my makeup still isn't done and I'm not in my dress because your mother is a fool."

Margot had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She was very used to her mother and auntie's fights over the years.

"Roni, sit," Margot instructed. "I will start your makeup until my mom gets her butt in here."

Slowly, Regina sat at the vanity in her room and Margot got to work. Margot rarely wore makeup, but she had a light hand and knew what she was doing. After ten minutes, Regina's base was complete. She already had her pregnancy glow, but Margot had added just enough bronzer and highlighter to give her the perfect sun kissed look.

"I'm afraid I can't do eyeshadow," she said as she put the brushes down. "I'll go drag Mom in here to finish up and then we'll help you into your dress. Let me just change."

Regina nodded and took a deep breath as Margot left the room. She heard her scream for Zelena who quickly ran into the room. Her usually wild mane had been slightly tamed into a low bun with some loose strands hanging at the front.

"I am so sorry!" She cried as she rushed in. "Tori had more trouble fighting with my hair than we thought we'd have."

Regina didn't even dignify her with an answer. She simply exhaled slowly and shut her eyes. Taking the hint, Zelena sat in Margot's vacated chair and started sweeping warm browns and golds onto Regina's eyelids to bring out the gold in her eyes.

Once that was done, she glanced over her shoulder to see that neither Margot or Tilly were there before waving her hand over Regina's hair, allowing the magic to braid her fringe and pin it behind her head to keep it out of her eyes. Another wave and a couple of flowers were weaved through to create more detail.

"Now, let's get you into your dress," Zelena said calmly, happy that Regina seemed to have relaxed a fraction. "Maggie, dress time!"

Margot re-entered the room, now wearing her deep blue jumpsuit, and rolled her eyes at the nickname she'd been unable to shake despite her best efforts, now she gave it up for a lost cause. Between the two of them, they helped Regina into her dress and positioned the sleeves around her arms so that they were perfectly symmetrical. They allowed her to use them as crutches as she stepped into her shoes.

"Should you really be wearing heels at thirty-one weeks pregnant?" Margot asked hesitantly.

"I'll be fine," Regina assured her before winking at Zelena who simply rolled her eyes.

Emma had asked the same thing a few nights ago when she saw the shoes Regina had selected for the ceremony.

"Em, I have magic," Regina said as if it was obvious. "I'll charm them so that they feel like flats, but I still have the height." She shrugged. "Besides, I'll look tiny if you're in heels; you're already taller than me."

Even Emma couldn't see the flaw in that logic and had to agree. In the heels, Regina was just about the same height, although no one ever really thought of the former Evil Queen as slight, but that was probably more due to her large presence.

Margot glanced at her watch before looking back up. "We have minus five minutes."

"Minus?" Regina repeated, raising one perfectly shaped brow and concentrating on pushing down the hysteria that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Yeah, we should have been there five minutes ago," Margot expanded. "We'd better get moving."

Margot grabbed Tilly and the two started making their way downstairs to the main bar to take their seats while Zelena hung back with Regina to help her down the stairs.

"I seem to remember you saying you were pregnant and not an invalid when you were pregnant with Robyn," Regina reminded her sister. "Why are you treating me any different?"

"I didn't walk around in four-inch heels while pregnant," Zelena retorted, struggling not to roll her eyes. "In fact, I didn't really have anywhere to walk and Emma fed me demon onion rings to speed up the pregnancy. Thank God she didn't do that with yours."

Regina chuckled as they got to the bottom of the stairs. "Oh, the good old times."

"There you are!" Cora cried when she saw them. "I was staring to panic. We've been here for twenty minutes already."

"Emma was early?" Regina asked. "I never thought that would ever happen."

Cora laughed and nodded. "She's excited. Now, are you ready?"

Regina smiled. "More than."

Zelena walked forward and saw Ivy waiting for the two with Lennie beside her. The redhead nodded and Ivy peaked into the room and nodded. Henry pressed play on the stereo and Saint-Saëns' 'The Swan' began to play. They had decided on the piece to pay homage to the fact that Regina was about to become a Swan of sorts. They had pretty quickly and easily decided they would hyphenate their surnames and Emma had won the battle to have her surname first as "Swan-Mills" was easier to say than the alternative, not to mention that "Mills-Swan" sounded a bit ridiculous.

"Off you go, Lennie," Ivy whispered, and Lennie started walking up the short aisle.

After counting to six as rehearsed, it was Ivy's time to make her way down and soon, she was followed by Zelena. Finally, once the three had reached the front and taken their seats on either side as they didn't need to be stood, Cora glanced at Regina who was grinning brightly.

Without any hesitation, the two started making their way through the doors. As soon as the two brides clapped eyes on each other, they both started tear up at seeing how beautiful the other was and couldn't believe their luck at finding the other.

Regina had no eyes for anyone else as she walked forward. She ignored the fact that Remy and Sabine had chosen to sit on Emma's side to flesh out her party or the way that Margot and Tilly were holding hands while watching her approach. She barely even glanced at Lennie who was sitting beside Ivy as she watched her mother approach, the small blonde's eyes were wide at the beauty that was her brunette mother. Even the fact that Henry was sitting on the other side of Ivy with a small smile as he watched her walk forward couldn't distract her from the sight before her.

No, her eyes were only on Emma as she took in her breath-taking beauty and the fact that her dress just seemed to heighten her beauty. She truly couldn't believe her luck.

It felt like an age before Cora was finally placing their hands together.

"Who gives this woman to this woman?" Rumple asked, trying to hide his enjoyment.

"I, Cora Alessandra Mills, do bless this marriage," Cora replied before taking a seat on Emma's side of the group as she had less guests.

Rumple nodded and began the ceremony. He had already sneakily charmed the room so that anyone still under the curse would hear Roni instead of Regina as Emma had already said she didn't want to get married under cursed names; she had wanted it to be authentic. Plus, the charm would affect their vows and weave whatever they said that didn't fit with the curse into something that would correspond to their current surroundings.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of these two wonderful women," Rumple began before he continued his practised speech. He didn't want to have to use a script, both women deserved better. The words flowed as if he'd been speaking them for years.

Before long, it was time for their vows. With a nervous cough, Emma went first. She had chosen to go first because she knew that Regina would probably wax poetic and would be a hard act to follow. Although, Emma had to take an internal deep breath to stave off the PTSD threatening to overwhelm her from her last go around.

"Regina, there are no words for how much I love and adore you," she began. Despite her nerves, her voice was steady. "We have literally been to hell and back together and you did that for me, just for our friendship. You didn't have to, in fact, you had literally no obligation to follow me and you lost so much because of it. You're the most incredible woman in the world. You're strong, brave and kind. We share two beautiful children together and I cannot wait to meet the next one. I can't wait for our lives together and to grow old together. We will beat this curse and live our Happily Ever After. I believe in us and I love you."

Regina tried to blink her tears away and took a deep breath. She would blame the hormones later, but everyone present would always know the truth; Regina Mills was truly touched.

"Em, you're my white knight in shining armour," she said gently. "The perfect counterpart to the Queen." She swallowed. "You beat me to everything I wanted to say." Everyone chuckled quietly. "You're everything to me and despite my evil past, I clearly did something good to earn your love. I don't know what, but I promise to spend every day ensuring that I deserve that love and adoration. I have never considered it a trial to follow you to hell, in fact, if it came down to it again, I'd be jumping into the fiery depths with you. You are the perfect partner to raise our children and I cannot wait to do it all from the beginning with you. I love you."

Emma felt the urge to pull Regina to her and kiss her, but she knew that now was not the time. They still had to exchange rings.

Rumple then called Ivy and Zelena forward to present their rings. The brides accepted them eagerly and slipped them gently onto the other's finger.

"Emma Swan, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Rumple asked.

"You bet!" Emma replied which made Regina almost giggle.

"And Regina Mills, do you–"

"I do!" Regina said, cutting Rumple off.

Rumple chuckled before gesturing to the two. "Then it is my greatest honour to announce you married. You may kiss each other."

Emma wasted no time in pulling the brunette close and sealing their lips together, enjoying the feel of her wife flush against her for the first time. The height difference disappearing into almost nonexistence due to Regina's heels, although Emma was still a smidge taller and titled the smaller woman's mouth up to meet her own.

"I love you," Emma whispered as she pulled back.

"I love you too," Regina replied just as quietly as she pulled Emma back in for another kiss.

However, just as their lips brushed together for the second time, the lights in the room flickered and the room started to shake.

Emma pulled back to take in the room. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Regina whispered.

A loud crash was heard and to flashes of light revealed the two people everyone in the city were looking for.

"Sorry, we're late," Gothel sneered. "It looks like our invitations were lost in the mail."

"You're not welcome here!" Ivy snapped.

"We're not here for the wedding, silly girl," Gothel continued, sheer distaste in her voice.

"Why are you here?" Emma demanded. She blocked Regina's body with hers, her palms already lit with fireballs, hoping Rumple's charm would continue on the cursed to replace the magic before them.

Gothel smirked and glanced at Lennie who had been running towards her mothers to congratulate them. "For her, of course."

And before anyone could do anything, Gothel snapped her fingers and Lennie shot into the air, flying towards the two at the far end of the bar. As soon as Lennie was in her reach, Gothel grabbed onto her and Jacinda and flicked her wrist once more, disappearing with a loud bang and flash.

Regina let out a bloodcurdling scream. "LENNIE!"


	46. Chapter 46

Everyone stared at the emptiness where Gothel and Jacinda had been standing a moment ago. Everything had happened so quickly. They had barely finished the ceremony not even ten minutes ago. The only reason they knew that they'd been and gone was the fact that Lennie wasn't there. Her presence filled any room she was in with utter joy and the celebration of her parents' wedding was the epitome of that.

The room was so silent in the aftermath of it all that you could hear a pin drop as they tried to wrap their heads around what had just happened. The explicit use of magic was working its way around the cursed, weaving into a more believable escape but Emma didn't have time to wait for them to comprehend a fake story.

Despite the complete shock of it all, what happened next surprised them even more. Emma turned back from where her daughter had been taken. She took three paces before pulling Henry's chair to face the centre with an unknown strength she fuelled with her fury.

"What the fuck did you do!"

"Me?" Henry gasped, clearly confused as to why the blonde bride had turned on him.

Even in her panic and despair, Regina looked at Emma with her eyebrows high. Never before had she thought the blonde would ever speak to their son like that. There were so many emotions running around the room, confusion and anger being the highest, but Regina couldn't wrap her head around why Emma's fury was currently being directed at their son. As far as she was aware, Henry was the most innocent in this with being cursed.

"Yes, you!" Emma screamed, her voice breaking with the fear and fury that she couldn't keep in as her mind worked in overdrive to figure out what had happened to her daughter even if it meant yelling at her son. She swore never to choose a child over the other but at that moment, this Henry wasn't technically her son, so she pardoned herself. "I know you told Jacinda you were coming here, who would be here and why. It could only be you because you are the only one in here who has had any contact with her over the past few days or has had any reason to be."

"I haven't," Henry replied, swallowing nervously. Small beads of sweat started forming on his brow and Emma saw right through him. "Emma, I-"

"Liar." Emma's sharp voice cut him off before he could continue. Her voice was thick with venom that she couldn't shake. Despite the fact that he was her son, she couldn't focus on that as she panicked for her daughter's life and safety. She would apologise later when all of this was over and Elena was safe.

"Emma!" Regina cried, turning back to her new wife in surprise. "What are you doing? How could you accuse him of something like this?"

However, Emma ignored her as she concentrated on her son. "I know you, Henry Daniel Mills. You may have forgotten that, but I know when you're lying to me and right now, you're lying. You may not have known where she was the entire time, but you knew today, at least, and you told her where you would be."

Henry floundered in his seat as all eyes stared at him. The sweat beads still slipping down his forehead, but he didn't wipe them away in fear of being spotted.

"Is it true?" Ivy whispered, as if speaking it out loud would be taking it a step too far.

Slowly, Henry nodded. "She said she wanted to come home and see me. I have no idea what's going on at all. Besides, I missed her so I said I would be here this afternoon and then I'd be home. She said she wanted to tell me something. I didn't know she was going to break in with that psycho and steal your daughter!"

Emma scoffed. "You wanted to see her after what she did to all those children?!"

"She told me she didn't do anything!" Henry defended. He shot out of his seat in defiance. "J wouldn't hurt a fly. She's only got like this since hanging out with that Eloise woman. She's lost and needs guidance. She needs something like you in her life."

"What she needs is a loony bin!" Emma shrieked. She took a few steps towards Henry, trying to calm her breathing but it didn't seem to be working. "You'd better get out of my sight so I can look for my daughter so she doesn't end up like your daughter if we continue doing nothing!"

Henry's eyes flashed with fear as the realness of the situation dawned on him. "I'll find her. I know J's favourite spots in the city when she wants to be alone. Ivy, come on."

He pulled on Ivy's hand, pulling her out of her seat before making their way towards the door.

"Wait!"

Henry turned back to see Rumple rushing over, his phone aloft.

"Rogers is on the phone," he revealed. It seemed while Emma was yelling at her son, Rumple had actually been productive and called his team to start the investigation. "Tell him all the locations and they'll send the force."

Phone passed over, Henry started rattling off all the places he thought Jacinda could have taken Lennie. After a few minutes, the phone was passed back to Rumple as he coordinated the search with Rogers.

"I'll call you if we find her," Henry promised and with that, he and Ivy rushed out of the room.

Emma's blood was still boiling as she leant against the wall before slowly sliding down. Everything hit her at once, fear for Lennie's safety, gilt at screaming at Henry, even if he was indirectly responsible, and sadness that her wedding day had been ruined. It should have been the happiest day of her life, surrounded by the ones she loved and marrying the woman of her dreams. It seemed that perhaps she was always doomed on wedding days after the Black Fairy's curse interfered with the last one.

Tears slid down her face as she let out a loud sob, finally letting the tears fall. Her body shook uncontrollably as she struggling to keep herself together. After months of keeping Lennie safe because she rarely left the apartment, she was taken because they didn't think to protect Roni's. Everyone was too distracted with the fact that Emma and Regina were finally getting married.

Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her as another shaking body slid down the wall. Immediately she felt herself starting to calm down in her embrace.

"We'll find her," Regina whispered. "I promise you we will."

"I'm so sorry," Emma sobbed as she leant into Regina. She knew she was getting mascara all down her wife's neck, but at that moment, she didn't care. "I should have known something was going to happen. I should have put up more spells."

"You're not alone in this," Regina replied as she pressed soft kisses to Emma's head. The only reason she was able to keep calm was because of the baby. Even at thirty-one weeks, she was convinced something could still go wrong so she had to keep calm otherwise they would have even more issues on their hands. "We all didn't think of the possibility."

Emma glanced up and saw that the room was now pretty empty. Remy and Sabine had left, for reasons the blonde didn't know, and Margot and Tilly had gone upstairs to give the brides some space. Emma found out later from Rumple it was the spell affecting them that they needed to part from the event so the charm could rework their memories. Henry was also affected but with Ivy most likely still using magic while he was under the spell, it would take him longer for the charm to kick in.

Cora was being held by Zelena as tears slipped down both of their faces. Victoria was holding onto Zelena's hand for some comfort. She looked a little bit lost but with the way Zelena was clinging onto her hand, she couldn't leave anytime soon.

Rumple, on the other hand, had started rearranging the room to make it look more like the crime scene he had described to Rogers on the phone. He had smashed the front door so that it looked like Gothel and Jacinda had forced an entry instead of just poofing in. He dragged a few chairs aside and knocked over one of the vases they had put on either side of the makeshift altar.

Slowly, Emma stood up before helping her pregnant wife up. The two made their way over to their family, Cora and Zelena wrapping their arms around them tightly once they got close. However, Zelena still didn't let go of Victoria.

"What do we do now?" Emma asked her mother. Her voice was hoarse from crying but she tried to ignore that.

"We wait for the police," Cora replied with a shaky voice. "Once they're on the lookout, we begin our own."

"The longer we wait, the more likely it is that they'll kill her!" Emma cried, her voice breaking. Her tears renewed even when Regina wrapped her arm around her waist in another attempt to calm her. It wasn't really working.

"They won't kill her," Cora assured her. "Whatever they're doing, they haven't taken her to be killed. Remember what happened with Sophia? They needed to kill Ivy as a sacrifice before they could start whatever screwed up ritual they need. Sophia is in that state because Ivy didn't die. The other girls were getting tested to see if they were powerful enough for the ritual. I presume Sophia was chosen because she has some magic in her veins. While Gothel and Jacinda do not have a sacrifice, Lennie will stay alive. Besides, she has you two for mothers, her magic is powerful and her reactions are instant. She'll be able to put up a battle."

The words weren't entirely soothing, but they allowed for a little reassurance. Before anyone could say anything else, Rogers and two other officers burst through the door. In seconds, he was in a deep conversation with Rumple who was pointing to different things and reliving the warped tale of how Lennie was taken.

Content with what he heard, Rogers didn't come over to the women standing at the makeshift altar. Emma and Regina were still wearing their wedding dresses, but their faces were red and tearstained. He realised that talking to them would just make things worse.

With a nod, Rogers commanded the officers to search the bar in case the women had created a ploy of leaving but were still there while he left Rumple in charge. Rogers left and went to the first location on Henry's list as Rumple finally walked back to his family.

"Cora," he called and looked at her. The two then entered a silent conversation. Their lips didn't move but their eyes connected in a way that still baffled Emma. Despite her connection to Regina and sometimes she did know what she was thinking, she didn't think they'd ever connected mentally in the way that Cora and Rumple did.

Everyone watched as the two communicated. Cora's face shifted from fear to intrigue before guilt. Finally, she glanced at her daughters, more specifically, Emma.

"Do you remember the flower Lennie mentioned?" She asked slowly.

Brows furrowed in confusion, Emma nodded. "The one you said didn't exist?"

"It does exist," Rumple said, "I'm just not one hundred percent sure where it is. When Cora mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, I started researching. It is strongly believed to be in Wonderland. We're going to get it and cure Henry, Rogers and Tilly of their ailments." The men, Emma understood, as they had been cursed with poisoned hearts, but she didn't understand why Tilly needed it. However, now was not the time to ask for more detail. "As soon as they're healed, we wake them with the extra memory potion. Margot too," he added after a glance to Zelena. "With them all awake, we have every member of our family awake and the curse will start to crumble. It's because of Lennie that we even know about the flower in the first place."

Hope was starting to build in the blonde as she realised that everyone being awake would put an end to this godforsaken curse and everyone could go back to Storybrooke. She automatically turned to tell Lennie the good news that Baron would be back with hem sooner rather than later before everything rushed back and hit her like a tonne of bricks.

"You can't leave when we don't have Elena!" Emma gasped. "How are we meant to find her when you're the best sorcerers? Without you here, we don't stand a chance!"

"Emma," Cora said softly as she took hold of Emma's hand. "You are so much better than you know and you're not alone." She glanced to Regina. "You have your wife by your side and Zelena is here too."

Zelena stepped forward and took hold of Emma's free hand and Regina's. "I'm gonna kill them with my bare hands for this. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it. Those women have had it coming since day one."

Finally, Emma smiled. It wasn't her usual grin that took Regina's breath away, but the corner of her lips quivered a fraction. It wasn't much but Regina took it.

"I need my daughter back," Emma whispered.

"And we'll get her," Cora promised as she pulled Emma close. Emma shut her eyes at the embrace, allowing the comfort to float from her mother. Cora pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before stepping back. "But for now, Rumple and I need to start looking for the flower. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Rumple then stepped forward and waved his hand over himself and Cora, changing their wedding attire into casual jeans and a t-shirt. Another wave of his hand and he produced something small and clear. A magic bean.

"But wait, how can you leave?" Regina asked. "Surely the police force won't allow their senior detective to skip out on an investigation like this?"

"I've told them I'm going to search further afield," he replied before reaching out to take Regina's hand. "We'll get the flower and be back before you know it." He then waved a hand over Regina's belly. She felt the warmth of a protection spell settle over her along with a flash of pink. "No harm will come to her and if you go into labour, we'll know."

Regina smiled softly before pulling her father in for a hug. "Stay safe." She looked to her mother and pulled her into the embrace. "Both of you. I can't lose my parents."

"We'll be fine," Cora assured her before pulling Zelena into a hug.

Once the goodbyes were said, Rumple reached out for Cora's hand. He threw the bean on the floor which opened up the portal. Zelena wrapped her arms around Victoria as Regina took hold of Emma so that they wouldn't accidentally get pulled through. The blonde had been pulled through two portals accidentally before. Now really wasn't the time for a third.

After a final reassuring smile to everyone, Rumple and Cora turned to each other and nodded before shutting their eyes and stepping forward. The fire swallowed them before shrinking once more. It was as if they had never been there.

Regina stared at the empty space before glancing at Emma. "What do we do now?"

Emma pondered the question for a second. "You need to go home and rest. Zee, Vicky and I will go help Ivy and Henry in their search."

"What?" Regina gasped, horrified that Emma would suggest that they separated at a time like this. "I want to help! I can't hide away."

The blonde pulled her wife to her and rested their foreheads together. "I can't lose you too. You heard what Cora said. They need a sacrifice before they can hurt Lennie. There is no way in hell I'm allowing that to be you."

"I won't allow it to be you either!" Regina implored. "I can't wait around at home not knowing what's happening. You know we work better together." She swallowed and released a shaky breath. "I can't lose my wife."

Despite the situation, Emma couldn't help but smile softly at her wording. She took hold of her hand in her and squeezed. "Please, Ginny. I need you and the baby to be safe and the apartment is the safest place in town. We know they can't get in there. You know me, I'm pretty good at finding people."

Regina pulled Emma close and hugged her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, my wife." Emma tilted her head and kissed her softly. "I promise you, when all of this is over, I will treat you to the best honeymoon. Now please, go. The sooner we start looking, the sooner we have her back."

When Regina was still reluctant, Emma stole another kiss before waving her hand over her, poofing her home in a cloud of white.

"She's gonna kill you for that, you know," Zelena advised with a raised eyebrow. Even with the dire situation, she was still finding the time to joke.

"I'll face her later," Emma replied before waving her hand over her dress, following Rumple's idea, and turning it into a pair of jeans and a white tank top, her infamous red jacket settled around her shoulders. As beautiful as her dress was, it was definitely not fighting attire. "Right, where shall we start?"

oOoOo

A week passed and they still had no idea where Jacinda and Gothel had taken Lennie. When Emma had finally gotten home that evening, Regina had been pretty furious with her that she'd poofed her home, but she reluctantly agreed later that it had been the right thing to do; she was never going to be able to do it herself.

While Regina waited agonisingly at home, baking anything she could get her hands on for a distraction, Emma and the others searched Hyperion Heights high and low along with the police. Everywhere Henry suggested that they could be came up empty. They even included Belfrey tower and the basement where Emma had found the children, but both were as bare as the other. They started to get desperate with the police going door to door for any information. Yet every time they received the same answer: nothing.

Emma had thought about using Cora's globe, but she hadn't been able to locate it which made her even more frustrated. She wished more than anything that Cora and Rumple would return soon but they hadn't heard anything from them since they left. They had no idea if they had found the flower or if something more sinister was keeping them away.

"I just don't know where they could possibly have taken her," Emma cried one night as she and Regina were cuddled up in bed. "We've looked everywhere but there is no whisper of her."

"Gothel has a completely different type of magic to us, she may have hidden her," Regina replied reluctantly. "We will find her."

"You keep saying that, but we still aren't any closer to getting her back!" Emma snapped.

Regina raised her eyebrow at the tone but didn't give back because she could see Emma was brewing for a fight. She knew she wasn't the one the fight against, so she didn't want to provoke her.

"I'm sorry," Emma murmured. "I'm just scared for her."

"I am too," Regina said as she pressed a soft kiss on Emma's forehead and smiled softly when Emma started caressing her wife's bump. As she watched, something else came to mind. "I think we should speed up the pregnancy again."

Emma's movements faltered as she looked up to her wife. "Why? If we speed it up again, you'll be closer to your due date and we can't fight all of this with a new-born baby. We'll be too distracted. At least you're both still together while pregnant and you can protect her."

Regina bit her lip before nodding. "Okay."

After a pause, Emma continued her caresses on Regina's bump and this time when they stopped, it was because Emma had fallen asleep.

oOoOo

Another two weeks passed and there was still nothing. Regina's previously calm manner took a swerve. When Emma got home from work after the afternoon shift, she found her curled up in the corner of the living room. She was holding Chip to her and crying into Lennie's teddy in despair.

"Ginny!" Emma cried as she ran over to her. She crouched before her and started checking her for any sign of injury but quickly came back empty, which was good, but she then couldn't figure out her sudden sorrow.

"I can't do it," she sobbed into Emma's shoulder. "I can't keep calm with everything going on. I know if I continue like this, I'm going to lose her. We can't lose two children in two weeks, Em. Please, I'm begging you to speed this up."

Emma swallowed and took a deep breath. "Are you sure? Cora and Rumple aren't here. You know Mom wants to be here for the birth."

"We don't have a choice," Regina begged. "I know Mother wants to be here but they're not back and I don't know when they will be. I need the baby to be born so my freak out levels can adjust."

It was understandable why she wanted the pregnancy to end. Her body was already on overload of hormones which was making her feelings towards Lennie's kidnapping even stronger. Emma realised that if the roles were reversed, she would want the pregnancy to be over so she could compartmentalise her feelings. It was only after she had given birth to Lennie that she was able to see how much of a monster Hook was to be able to leave him.

Slowly Emma rearranged herself so that she was sitting comfortably next to her wife. She reached out and squeezed her knee. "Do you want me to speed you up into labour or just before?"

Regina's eyes snapped up to her, full of gratitude to her wife. "You'll do it?"

Emma nodded. "You're right. Your mental health is affected by all of this and that's just as important." She took hold of Regina's hands in hers. "You're my wife and if there is something you want that I can give you, who am I to refuse?"

Suddenly, plump lips were pressed against pale. Emma accepted the kiss which helped her relax before kissing Regina's cheeks softly.

"So, which do you want?" Emma asked, bringing them back to her question.

"To thirty-seven weeks," Regina decided. "We know that the spell is safe to speed up. I don't want anything to go wrong if we induced labour."

Emma nodded and pressed her hand softly against Regina's belly once more and repeated her wish from a few weeks ago. She knew it was successful when she felt the swell of her wife's bump increase.

She then looked up at Regina's face whose eyes were red from crying but Emma still thought she looked beautiful. "Better?"

Regina nodded. "Much, thank you. Help me up? Your baby is hungry."

Emma chuckled softly. "Perhaps you shouldn't have gotten yourself on the floor in the first place."

Regina simply stuck her tongue out at her wife as Emma help her up gently. However, as soon as she stood up, she felt a foreign tightening around her tummy.

"Em, how late in a pregnancy can you get Braxton hicks?"

Emma, who had already started walking towards the kitchen to start making dinner, turned around. "Latest around thirty-two weeks, I believe."

Regina's face paled. "Shit."

"Ginny?" Emma walked back towards the living room and saw Regina frozen as she leant against the wall, holding onto her bump.

"Then I don't think it's that," she muttered.

"Gin?" Emma was now by Regina's side. "Talk to me."

Regina looked Emma in the eye, but as she went to speak, she was hit with another sensation. Emma didn't need to ask what was going on as she recognised the liquid on the floor.

"Your waters have broken!"


	47. Chapter 47

Regina let out a quiet scream as she realised what was going on. Despite only wanting to speed the pregnancy up to thirty-seven weeks so that she was close to labour, she wasn't mentally prepared for her labour to begin straight away. Therefore, she allowed Emma to steer her to the sofa after magically changing her outfit to a dry pair of Emma's sweats and a baggy t-shirt. It was an outfit she'd never be caught dead in as either Regina or Roni, but at that moment, she didn't really care.

Emma gently pushed her down on the sofa while she set to cleaning up the mess and calling the hospital for advice. Ten minutes and three phone calls later, Emma was sitting beside her wife, reaching for her hand.

"The nurse said to monitor your contractions for the next couple of hours," Emma said. "When they're less than ten minutes apart, we need to get you to the hospital. Alright?"

Slowly, Regina nodded. "Who were the other calls to?"

"Zelena and Ivy. They're on their way." Emma kissed her wife softly. "You've got this, honey. Would you like something to eat?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You would think of food at a time like this."

Emma chuckled as she tapped her completely flat stomach. "Gotta get my daily fill!"

Despite the panic she was feeling, Regina laughed at her wife's antics, knowing if anyone could help her get through this labour, it was Emma.

"A ham sandwich would be good," she requested with a small smile. It seemed her desire for napping had gone with the new excitement building.

"Coming right up," Emma promised. She kissed Regina softly before heading over to the kitchen.

Four sandwiches prepared, because she knew Zelena and Ivy well enough by now to know they wouldn't refuse food, Emma headed back to the living room. She had just placed the plates on the table when two plumes of smoke, one of emerald green and the other of light blue, appeared.

Zelena and Ivy stepped out, both looking both quietly excited and anxious.

"Is everything okay?" Ivy asked as she rushed over to Regina.

Regina nodded. "It's still the early stages so I'm not in much pain yet."

Zelena, however, went straight to Emma. "You didn't give her those godforsaken onion rings, did you?"

Emma barked out a laugh. "Not this time." She then bit her lip. "I am sorry about all of that, you know. I'm kinda glad I didn't kill you off after all."

The witch raised her eyebrow. "Only kinda?"

"You know what I mean." Emma bumped Zelena's hip and chuckled. "There's food on the table if you want it." She looked up to see that Ivy was already digging in.

"What? It's cheese and pickle, my favourite," she said, her mouth still full. "I can't ever refuse and you know that."

"Why do you think I made that sandwich?" Emma asked rhetorically, finishing the sentence with an eyebrow raise. Although, she was secretly happy to see Ivy actually eat something which was another reason she'd made her favourite sandwich. The woman was looking slimmer every day and she was ridiculously worried

The crust that flew at her was predicted and Emma managed to dodge out of the way before it hit her.

Regina simply smiled at their childish antics and reached for the TV remote. "Might as well pass the time with trashy TV."

The said trashy TV quickly turned into a Glee marathon, introducing Ivy to the high school show. Zelena spent the majority of the time ripping the show to shreds from comments such as, "I mean seriously, that tall gangly boy, who's clearly at least thirty, can't make his mind up between the hot blonde and the big nosed midget? Oh, please." To, "What kind of show teaches this as sex ed! It's worse than what we were taught in Oz!"

The latter comment had the other three turning their heads towards her more than the first.

Emma tilted her head at the witch in confusion. "Umm?"

"You really don't want to know," Zelena said hurriedly before picking up some popcorn that she'd made.

Every now and then, Regina would gasp out in pain and Emma would squeeze her hand while the contraction lasted.

"I wish this would speed up," she groaned as she stroked her belly gently as if it would encourage the baby to come out quicker.

"Trust me, this is the easy part," Emma chuckled after she kissed her forehead. She pushed Regina's hair off of her face and stroked her cheek softly. "Just wait until it's time to push. You'll wish you were back to this stage."

The glare Emma received reminded her of the days when the Evil Queen would roam the town, searching for her next victim. However, now, she could laugh at it and not get scorched.

When she realised that her glare wasn't working, Regina stopped and snuggled into Emma's side.

"Ooooh, the Evil Queen has been tamed!" Zelena joked. "Who would have thought it was going to be by the daughter of her sworn enemy."

Instead of glaring at her sister, which she knew also wouldn't work, she simply rolled her eyes before going back to concentrating on the TV. The New Directions were about to compete for the first time with a stolen set list. Regina was rather reluctant to admit that she did rather enjoy the show which is why she'd put it on as a distraction.

"You know, this labour thing is not as dramatic as I thought it would be," she muttered sleepily.

"Why not go for a nap?" Emma suggested. "It'll pass time and gather your energy for the main event."

With a small nod, Regina slipped off the sofa and waddled into their room. As soon as she laid down, she was fast asleep.

"Oh, thank god, we can turn this tripe off now!" Zelena picked up the remote and turned the TV off. She leant back with a satisfied smile. "That Finn guy is pissing me off something chronic."

Emma chuckled before becoming serious. "We need to start making a plan of attack for when we get to the hospital. I have a hunch that we won't be alone for long." She swallowed. "Let's be real, Gothel and Jacinda will make an appearance at some point. That'll also mean Lennie will be too. Jacinda's got enough heart in her to know not to leave an eight-year-old alone."

Ivy raised her eyebrow. "Really?"

Emma nodded. "I'm hoping so anyway." She released a deep breath. "If Cora and Rumple don't make it back in time, we need to make sure we're on alert. Zee," she turned to the redhead, "I need you to contact Vicky. She needs to be with us just in case they target her as a sacrifice. It wouldn't surprise me."

Zelena paled at the idea before quickly pulling her phone out and texting her partner. Barely a minute later, she received a reply. "She'll meet us there."

"Henry needs to be there too, but we can call him later," Emma continued. "They're probably going to try and get Sophia as a back up so Ivy, you need to stay with your daughter. Zee, whatever happens, you cannot leave Regina's side."

"How are they going to know?" Ivy asked. "They've not known anything else up until now."

Emma considered the question for a moment. "Gothel knew about the pregnancy before we did. She wants to be the mother of everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if she's been monitoring Ginny's pregnancy since the conception. She'll know when the baby will be born."

She glowered as she thought about it. The thoughts had been swirling around her at the back of mind for the past few months. The fact that Gothel had threatened all three of Rumple's grandchildren had always been a point of concern.

The finale was coming, she could feel it in the air and in her gut. It had only just hit her that it would take place because of the birth of the baby.

"We'll stop them if they arrive," Zelena assured her sister with a squeeze of her knee.

"We have to," Emma said adamantly. "Because when I see them, I'm going to kill bitches who took my daughter." Her eyes glimmered darkly and for the first time in years, Zelena saw a whisper of the Dark Swan emerge.

Nothing more was said as neither Ivy nor Zelena wanted to provoke anything.

All they could do now was wait on Regina's contractions.

oOoOo

Four hours passed and Regina's contractions had only sped up to once every thirty minutes, but they were getting closer every time. She walked around the apartment multiple times but stopped when her complaints of backache became too much for Zelena to handle. Every time she cried out, Emma had offered her the numbing charm, but each time, Regina refused.

"I want to do this naturally," she insisted.

"What's natural about a baby made by a wish?" Zelena snarked. She only just managed to duck out of the way before a pillow hit her in the face. Looking around, Regina was glaring at her sister, not even covering up the minor act of violence.

They had put Glee back on, much to Zelena's chagrin, so that Regina would be distracted. They were almost at the finale of season one and it was getting on for midnight, but no one could sleep.

Emma set about making coffees for everyone to keep them awake. Regina looked on enviously, but it was interrupted by another contraction.

"These are getting ridiculous now!" She hissed as Emma helped her breath through them.

"You're doing really well, honey," Emma encouraged as she pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead. "So so well."

oOoOo

Another two hours passed, and Regina's contractions were now borderline every fifteen minutes. They just needed to wait a fraction longer before they could leave for the hospital. They had Rumple's car waiting outside, Zelena had already been down with the baby seat and Regina's suitcase that she had packed just after the contractions started as she wanted to be productive.

When a particularly painful contraction hit, Regina bent over and screamed. "I wish Mother was here!"

As soon as the words left her lips, a plume of burgundy appeared.

"Regina!" Cora ran forward and wrapped her arm around her daughter. "I'm so sorry we're later than expected. It took longer convincing Rumple not to attack Baron. We were just about to open the portal when he ran at me near the castle. Rumple thought he was about to hurt me. He got the biggest surprise when he came in for a cuddle."

Emma smiled, knowing it was a story she could tell Lennie when they found her.

"Who's Baron?" Ivy asked.

"Lennie's pet Bandersnatch," Emma replied with a small chuckle.

Ivy's jaw dropped. "Your daughter has a pet Bandersnatch? Aren't they meant to be dangerous?"

"What can I say, my daughter has a way with animals," Emma sighed.

"A word of warning would have been nice," Rumple grumbled. "I thought he was going to bite your head off."

"Baron is harmless," Cora said before turning back to Regina. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted," she admitted. "I just want to nap. Ow!"

Emma stopped the timer on her phone as the next contraction hit. "We're on ten. We should get going. Mom, Rumple, did you find it?"

Rumple nodded. "We found it." He then pulled the golden yellow flower out of his bag. "We just need to make the potion. It'll be ready before she's born."

"Then we'll get going in the car. Zee, Ivy, can you poof and meet us there? Then contact Vicky and Henry?" Emma asked. They nodded. "Mom, do you need to stay with Rumple?"

Cora shook her head. "I'm coming with you two. Rumple, if you need me–"

"Go, be with our daughter and meet our granddaughter," he insisted, cutting her off. "I'll be there within in the hour."

And with that, they all parted ways. Rumple headed to his basement where he had his potion kit already set up in preparation. The majority of the potion was already ready, just awaiting the final ingredient. He fired up the flames and got to work.

Zelena and Ivy transported to a deserted alleyway near the hospital and slowly walked to the front door so that they could arrive at the same time as the mother to be. They also pulled out their phones to text their partners to meet them there. Ivy had to freestyle hers to relate to Sophia. As friendly as Henry and Roni were, she knew he would ask too many questions if he thought he was there for when she went into labour.

Henry was the first to arrive, looking very confused. "Is everything alright?"

Ivy nodded. "For now," she said slowly. "I just have an inkling something is going to happen tonight, and we need to be here."

Used to Ivy's confusing antics at the moment, Henry just nodded and allowed her to lead him towards Sophia's room. Turning back, Ivy mimed a phone call to Zelena, indicating to call if there was a problem or when the potion was ready. Zelena nodded.

Victoria turned up five minute later and Zelena pulled her into a close embrace after pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Zee, what's going on?"

"We think it will all end tonight," Zelena replied cryptically. "I'm not sure how, but it's in the air."

Back at the apartment, Emma and Cora were helping Regina into the car with the blonde running to the driver's seat. Cora sat in the back but sat forward so that Regina could squeeze her hand whenever she needed to. Fortunately, the journey to the hospital wasn't long and only one contraction hit while they en-route.

As soon as they arrived, they met Zelena and Victoria at the front door before Emma helped her wife up to the maternity suite and toward to the reception desk.

"My wife, Roni, is in labour," Emma said. With everything going on, she was rather impressed with herself to use Regina's cursed name. Although why they hadn't booked the appointments in Regina's actual name, she had no idea. "We called a few hours ago."

The receptionist glanced at the chart and nodded. "Follow me." She then stood up and led the family to the third room down the hall. "The midwife will be along in five. Mrs West, if you can get changed before she gets here, that would be great."

The others waited outside while Regina changed into a hospital gown. Emma entered with her wife to give her a hand if she needed it while Zelena and Cora set to casting as many protection spells around the room as they could muster.

After five minutes, the midwife arrived to see how far Regina was gone.

"You're about six centimetres," she announced as she snapped off her gloves. "There will still be a bit of a wait, but your contractions are growing closer so it shouldn't be too long now."

Regina groaned. "I just want her out."

The midwife chuckled. "She'll be out when she's ready. Everything is going beautifully. Don't worry."

For the next hour, they waited. There was nothing much else they could do. Zelena turned on the TV for some background noise while Emma and Cora did their best to sooth Regina. Cora kept patting her brow with a cool cloth while Emma gave her back and ankles a massage.

They were pulled out of their world by Cora's phone ringing. Despite the sign that clearly stated no phones allowed, she pulled out the device and connected the call.

"Rumple?"

The four other sets of eyes in the room all turned to her, awaiting what the Dark One was about to say.

"Brilliant!" She hung up the phone and turned to the others. "He's finished it. He's dropping the first phial off at the station for Rogers before coming here." She turned to Zee. "Call Margot. It's time to get your daughter back."

Unable to hide the smile, Zelena pulled out her phone and called her daughter before going down to the reception to wait for Rumple and Margot. While she was there, she called Ivy to tell her the update. She promised to bring Henry down to Regina's room imminently.

"How's everything going?" Rumple asked as he entered.

"Gina's labour is going smoothly," Zelena replied. "I think she's more anxious about what's going to follow."

Rumple's eyes narrowed. "Something is coming. I can feel it."

"Me too," Zelena agreed. "I can feel it in my bones."

"Mom!"

Zelena turned away from Rumple to greet her daughter who was followed by Tilly. The fact she was so close to getting her true daughter excited her to no end as she pulled her in for a hug.

"How's Auntie Roni doing?" Margot asked.

"She's good," Zelena replied. "Let's get up there."

The four of them made their way back up to Regina's room which was now starting to feel rather crowded.

"Henry, Margot and Tilly, come here please," Rumple requested as he pulled out three small phials of clear liquid and another two that looked essentially like lumpy mud. "Do not ask questions but do as I say."

The three looked apprehensive but did as requested. "Tilly and Henry, you must drink this," he held up the phials of mud, "and then the three of you must drink this one."

Margot pulled a face of sheer disgust. "You have got to be kidding me. Mom," she glanced to her mother, "he can't be serious?"

"No questions, Maggie," Zelena said seriously.

At the tone, Margot looked back at the man and reluctantly took the clear phial. As she glanced at Tilly and Henry's first phials, she realised it could have been worse.

Both of them were staring at them with an air of disgust.

"Drink it!" Rumple commanded.

"Henry, please," Ivy added with a softer tone. "I promise you, it'll all make sense afterwards."

At Ivy's soft plea, Henry gritted his teeth before drinking the phial until it was empty. As soon as he finished it, a flash of gold swirled out of his chest. He clutched it in surprise but didn't ask any questions.

Tilly then followed and drank her phial. This time, the gold swirled around her head before disappearing. Like Henry, she reached up to touch it before looking confused at the room.

"Now the clear one," Rumple instructed, this time a little softer now the worse potion was over.

The three glanced at each other before drinking it down. As one, their eyes went blank as all of their memories flew back to them. One by one, their eyes came back into focus.

Robyn was first. She blinked a couple of times before flying towards her mother. "Mom, I remember!"

Zelena laughed as she hugged her daughter tightly. Robyn then turned around as she took in who was in the room.

"Emma! Grandma!" She shot forward and pulled the two into a tight hug. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," Emma replied as she held her close.

"Regina!" Robyn then shot to her other auntie. "Oh my god, as if you're having a baby!" She then glanced around the room and frowned. "Wait, where's Lennie?"

"Nobyn!"

Robyn turned at her girlfriend's voice. "Towergirl!" She rushed over and pulled Alice into a passionate kiss.

Alice reached up and cupped Robyn's cheek. "I remember."

"Moms!"

Finally, Henry was awake. "I remember everything!" He rushed forward and pulled Emma into a tight hug. "I am so sorry for the wedding. God, what was I thinking?!"

"You weren't," Emma said softly. "But god, I missed you, Kid."

Henry smiled at the old nickname. "I missed you two, Ma."

"FUUUUUCK!"

The happy reunion was cut short as Emma rushed to her wife. Her face was screwed up in pain as the worst contraction hit. She had been so focused on watching her family return to her that she'd become numb to it all until then.

"Mom, get the midwife," Emma called. Cora wasted no time in running out of the room to do as commanded. "Henry, I love you, but you and Ivy need to get back up to Sophia. Your psycho girlfriend is going to come tonight. I can feel it."

"But I just got you back," Henry said reluctantly.

"Your mother, sisters and daughter's lives depend on this, Henry," Emma revealed. "You need to do as I say."

"Come on, Hen," Ivy said softly and she pulled on Henry's hand, leading him out of the room.

"We'll stand guard," Robyn said.

She turned to Alice as she magicked up Robyn's bow and arrows. Emma couldn't help the smile when she recognised the bow. It seemed Robyn was still using her father's after all these years. The two then stood outside ready while Emma rushed over to her wife.

"I'm going to go with Ivy," Victoria said. "They're not getting my daughter or granddaughter."

Before Zelena could argue, she was off. The door bad barely shut when Cora was back with the midwife who was already snapping on her gloves.

"Things are moving, Roni," she said after she finished her inspection. "You're at ten. It's time." She then reached the call button to call in another nurse for help should anything go wrong. Luckily, nothing did.

Everything then seemed to pass in a blur. Rumple went outside to stand on guard with Robyn and Alice. Zelena and Cora were at either side of Regina, letting her squeeze their hands as powerfully as she needed while Emma was sitting behind her and helping her push.

There were loud screams and cries of, "I can't do this!", mixed with a number of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. But at precisely four o'clock in the morning on the 20th of March, a new cry was heard as Regina gave birth to their daughter weighing seven pounds on the dot.

The midwife cleaned up the baby, and Emma was allowed to snip the cord with shaking hands, before the baby was placed into Regina's arms.

"Congratulations!" Cora cried as she kissed her daughter's head before pressing a soft kiss on the baby's.

"You did it, Ginny!" Emma gushed. "You were amazing. I'm so proud of you." She peered over Regina's shoulder and reached around to stroke their new daughter's face. "She's perfection."

Regina turned her head to kiss Emma softly. "I can't believe she's here."

"Does this gorgeous girl have a name?" The midwife asked as she held up the clipboard that had the baby's weight and birth time on.

Emma slipped off the bed and looked at Regina. "Are you still okay with the one we picked?"

Regina nodded. "Her name is Charlotte Rose," she whispered, her voice thick with exhaustion.

The midwife smiled as she noted it down. "I'll leave you to rest."

"That's a beautiful name," Zelena murmured as she looked down at the newest addition of their family.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Cora added. "You did so well, Gina."

"I'm absolutely exhausted," she admitted sheepishly as she looked down at her daughter with complete adoration. "But she's so worth it."

"You were absolutely amazing," Emma whispered as she slowly moved herself from behind her wife. The midwife helped clean Regina up and wipe away most of the blood while Emma text both Henry and Ivy to say that Charlotte had been born. "You know, she's the same weight as Lennie."

Regina grinned at that fact, however, it faltered as the lights in the room started to flicker. "What's going on?"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed down the hallway and Zelena's face paled before she rushed out the room.

"Robyn!"

In the hallway she was met with Robyn and Alice being magically pushed up against the wall by someone she never expected.

"Lennie?"


	48. Chapter 48

At the shout of her daughter's name, Emma's head snapped up towards to the door.

"Go, Em," Regina urged, but the blonde was reluctant to leave her wife and baby behind.

"I've got them," Cora promised, her right hand already illuminated with her signature poison-laced flame.

With a quick nod, Emma rushed into the hallway to see Rumple and Zelena standing frozen, whether by magic or just shock, she didn't know, and Lennie standing before Robyn and Alice. She was no longer in her flower girl dress but wearing a pair of jeans and a green jumper. Her hands were stretched out, mimicking strangling her cousin and her girlfriend, her face narrowed in deep concentration.

"Lennie!" Robyn gasped out as her windpipe closed in. She was trying to push away the invisible force, but it was to no avail. "It's me, Robbie, your cousin."

"No!" Lennie screamed, tears rolling down her face. "You're not my cousin. You're Margot. You're a liar!"

"Please, Len," Robyn begged as her face was turning purple.

"No!" Lennie repeated. This time her voice was even stronger with distaste. Tears were still falling but she ignored them. "I have to do this. They told me to! It's for the greater good."

"Lennie," Emma said softly as she took careful steps towards her eldest daughter, knowing she had to get her to stop but not frighten her at the same time. "What's going on?"

"Mommy?" Her voice trembled and as she glanced to her mother, her concentration on her spell faltered. Robyn and Alice felt to the floor with a crash and Zelena and Rumple ran to them to make sure they were okay. Clearly Lennie's magic had been strong enough to freeze her grandfather and auntie.

"Yes, honey, it's me," Emma said, keeping her voice calm as to not scare her daughter and alert others to the situation. Gothel and Jacinda couldn't be far away if Lennie was here.

Suddenly faint cry was heard and Lennie's head snapped to where the sound was coming from. In her rush, Emma had left the door to Regina's room open.

"What's that?" Lennie asked.

"It's a baby," Emma replied. "It's your sister. Your mom had the baby."

Lennie's head snapped back to her mother, her eyes flickered over with sudden rage. Her hands lit up with fire that radiated over her shoulders. Clearly whatever had been going on over the past few days with her, Gothel had been training her magic too. "You've replaced me already? Gothel said you would! You promised you wouldn't replace me!"

Emma's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Sweetheart, we haven't replaced you. It was time for the baby to come." Semantics were not necessary at that moment. "Do you want to meet her?" Emma reached out her hand, a silent offer for her daughter.

At first, Lennie looked reluctant, but she shook her hands and put out the fire. Slowly, she took hold of her mother's hand. Emma was a little cautious of her sudden mood swings, but she had enough experience with the Evil Queen to know how to try to placate them. Once Lennie's hand was in hers, she started leading her to Regina's room but just as they were about to cross over the threshold, Rumple called them to stop.

"Emma, wait!" He cried as he ran over. "It could be a trap."

"A trap?" Emma repeated. "I'm introducing my daughter to her sister. How can this be a trap?"

"Think of where she's just been and who she's been with," Rumple said lowly as he took hold of her arm gently to try to stop her. "If Lennie is here, then so are they. There's no way she's acting alone. She'd never have got in here by herself." As he said that, he threw his arms in the air. The building seemed to jump before landing solid. "There, no one in the building can leave."

"You're being stupid. If you think something is going to happen, then go first," Emma suggested. She mockingly motioned with her free hand for him to enter before her. "It's going to be fine."

Rumple did as instructed and walked into he room first. He went to stand beside his daughter, his hands braced to cast any protective spell he needed as Emma brought Lennie into the room.

"Lennie!" Regina called with delight at seeing her eldest daughter arrive.

Emma turned to Rumple with a satisfied smirk. "See–"

However, her gloat was cut short when the lights flickered once more and the room shook. Two flashes of light appeared and Gothel and Jacinda stepped out. The former turned to Lennie with a proud smile on her face that made Emma's stomach turn. Seeing that look on someone else's face that wasn't family didn't sit right with her in the slightest.

"Elena, darling, you were perfect!" Gothel cheered in delight. "Now, come to Mother."

At the words, Emma held onto her daughter's hand tighter. "Touch her and you'll die," she hissed, her free hand already illuminated with fire.

"No!" Lennie cried. She ripped her hand free of Emma's and ran over to Gothel. "Gothel hasn't done anything horrible to me like you have. You took me away from Wonderland, from Baron. You kept me away from my other mom and now you've both replaced me! I hate you! Both of you!"

Emma's eyes prickled with tears at her daughter's harsh words and the sheer hatred in her eyes. "Lennie, I–"

"I don't want to hear it," Lennie snapped. "Mother Gothel, I want to leave."

"Not yet, poppet," Gothel said in a sickly-sweet voice that made Emma want to vomit. "Much still needs to be done. Your task has only just begun, my dear."

Lennie's brows furrowed in confusion as she took hold of Gothel's hand. Jacinda then smirked at the room before her eyes landed on Regina and Charlotte. Everything then seemed to happen in slow motion as Gothel snapped her fingers. Just like it happened with Lennie, the baby flew out of Regina's arms and into Gothel's. A second later, Gothel snapped her fingers and the three of them, along with the baby, vanished.

"Charlotte!" Emma screamed, her voice cracking in despair. She looked back at Regina, expecting her to look devastated but her emotions didn't change. "Ginny, she just took our daughters! How are you so calm?"

"Daughter," Regina corrected as she slowly shifted up in the bed. "Charlotte is fine. Mother!" She called a fraction louder.

A dark purple plume appeared and Cora stepped out, holding baby Charlotte close to her chest before placing her in Regina's arms. With everything that had been going on, Emma hadn't even realised that Cora was no longer in the room.

"We heard what you were saying in the hallway, so we prepared," Regina explained as she held Charlotte close. She was fast asleep, the noise somehow not distressing her.

Emma inhaled slowly before reaching out to stroked Charlotte's cheek. "But they still have Lennie," she whispered as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "How are we meant to get her back?"

"They can't leave the hospital," Rumple advised. "I made sure of that."

"They weren't meant to be able to get in!" Emma snapped. "You were meant to be making sure of that!"

"They used Lennie's blood connection to both you and Regina to get in," Rumple explained. "I said she was a trap." When Emma glared at him, he continued hastily. "I've blocked them with the same magic. They aren't going anywhere. The search must begin."

Zelena, Robyn and Alice all returned to the room and another familiar face appeared moments later.

"Congrats, Regina," Nook said with a smile become coming solemn. "It's a shame it's all come to this."

Alice then turned to Emma. "This is who I meant when I said Killian Jones was my father. I didn't know there were two at that point."

Emma smiled briefly before coming serious. "We can play catch up later. For now, I need my daughter back and to save my granddaughter. We need a plan."

Rumple then took over and decided to split everyone up and made sure that each pair had a magic wielder with them. Rumple and Nook were a pair along with Robyn and Alice.

"Cora, dear, you need to stay here with Gina," Rumple instructed softly. "They're going to realise the baby is a fake before long."

Cora looked reluctant but she knew it was for the best. Regina couldn't stay alone with the baby because she was too exhausted and Emma couldn't stay behind because she was too angsty.

"That leaves Emma and Zelena. You can either stay together or go your separate ways," Rumple finished off. "So–"

Whatever Rumple was about to say was cut off as Zelena grasped at her necklace. "Tori!" She then looked at Emma. "I'm going to send you to her."

"Why me?"

"Because I changed the charm on her necklace and this one was the Gothel alert!"

"But–"

Before Emma could get a word out, Zelena flicked her wrist, concentrating on Victoria, and Emma was dragged from the room without a chance to say goodbye to her family.

When the emerald smoke cleared, Emma saw that she was in Sophia's room. Sophia was still lying in the bed, lifeless. However, her eyes were drawn straight to the corner where Lennie was slumped on the floor with Ivy standing over her, fireballs in her hand, ready to launch them at Gothel. Victoria was pinned to the wall by an invisible force, clearly the daemon mother had spotted her calling for Zelena.

Henry and Jacinda were nowhere to be seen which sent even more shivers down Emma's spine. Where had her son gone? But she didn't have the time to worry, he was a grown man. Her daughter, however, was still just a child.

"Elena!" She screamed as she ran over. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

"She's getting ready for the final step," Gothel teased.

Emma barely took one step before she was blasted beside Victoria, pressed tightly against the wall. Her hands were tucked tightly at her sides which refrained her from accessing her magic.

"Let me go, bitch!" She cried.

Gothel turned to her with a smirk. "Now, now, there are children present." She took a few steps away from Lennie and Ivy. The latter quickly turned back to trying to resuscitate the girl, but nothing seemed to be working. "I'm so glad you're here, Emma Swan. I've heard so much about you."

Emma's eyes narrowed in sheer distrust and hatred. "It's Swan-Mills, thank you very much."

Gothel waved her off. "Semantics. Anyway, I'm very glad you're here. You see, I was just going to use young Ivy here to be my sacrifice. It was working so perfectly with her the last time before she wrangled her way out of my vines. But I've learnt my lesson and now you're here, it'll be even better. Your connection to Elena is out of this world, I couldn't have written it better. The perfect mother to her daughter."

"What the fuck do you want to do?" Emma screamed. She struggled against the invisible restraints, but it was all in vain as she couldn't escape.

"I want all children," she said simply. "My daughter wouldn't accept me so soon every daughter will."

Emma's eyebrows raised. "Jeez, go to parenting counselling then! Leave the other children out of this. You've almost killed six of them!"

"They will be fine once my spell goes through!" Gothel snapped and Emma couldn't help the slight raise in confidence. If she got Gothel to lose her rag, she could try and manipulate her and distract her. "Enough of this. I cannot wait for Ella to return with the real baby. Yes, I'm fully aware that I was given a decoy, very clever of your wife. I suppose this will give her a few last minutes with the brat until she's mine along with the rest. It is time."

If there was one thing that Emma admired about the woman, she couldn't deny her use of speed. Within seconds, Lennie was laying flat out on the floor, already writhing with a pale grey glow surrounding her. The next thing Emma registered was a beam of green heading straight for her chest, directly over her heart.

However, unfortunately for Gothel, despite how quick she was, Ivy was quicker. She jumped in front of Emma and took the blow to her chest. Ivy's head shot back and she screamed silently in pain, her eyes wide with fear. Her body raised a fraction off the floor as the green glow surrounded her.

"Ivy!"

With a sudden outburst of determination, Emma tried to push her way out of the binds, but even with the newfound willpower, she still couldn't find a way out.

"Drizzie!" Victoria screamed. She fought against the binds which Emma thought was a losing battle until she managed to rip her way out. "Get away from my daughter!"

Victoria charged forward and shoved Gothel down before pushing Ivy out of the way. Gothel's spell was interrupted and she was knocked off balanced. However, unfortunately for the rest, she recovered quickly and balled her fists.

"You don't know what you're doing, Rapunzel," she sneered. "You always get yourself into more trouble than you're worth."

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Victoria hissed, ignoring Gothel's goading. "I'm being the mother you're too afraid to be. Yes, Drizella and I have a difficult relationship, but she is my daughter and I will always love her. You want a sacrifice? Then take me, not her."

"No!" Ivy screamed. "I won't allow you to do that for me."

Gothel simply laughed mercilessly.

"I did promise Jacinda that your death would be part of this curse," she said as if taking the suggestion into deep consideration. "She just wanted to be there when it happened, but it cannot be helped if the situation arises. Take two."

Gothel blasted her magic and an amplified beam shot directly to into Victoria's chest. This time, it was Victoria who shot up in the air, her arms and head were thrown back. Her mouth and eyes were wide before her body started to shake.

"Mom!"

Ivy pushed away from Lennie and tried to break up the new spell but pushing her mother out of the way wasn't working. Her body rebounded until she was in a heap on the floor.

"Emma, please!" She begged as tears started streaming down her face. "I know she's a bitch, but she's my mother. She doesn't deserve this."

With the desperation in her voice, Emma started trying to fight the binds. She wriggled and shifted her body, trying to find any way to get loose. It was all at a lost until she shut her eyes and rested her against the wall.

_I wish to be free!_

The binds dropped and she rushed forwards. In her anger at herself for not thinking of wishing sooner, along with everything Gothel had done to her over the past few months, her blood was boiling with sheer fury. She could feel her magic buzzing around her that all she didn't have to think of any spells, she just acted.

Her arms flew out, as she conjured two giant fireballs lace with Cora's signature poison. She released them and Gothel was hit hard directly in the chest that she crashed through the window behind her and dropped to the floor. Emma knew that she'd be able to save herself from the fall, but for now, they had more time to plan.

As soon as she was gone, Victoria started to fall but Ivy managed to catch her in time.

"Drizzie?" She muttered feebly.

"I'm here, Mom," Ivy promised before glancing at Emma. "Thank you."

Emma smiled softly before dropping to Lennie's side. She waved her hand down her to diagnose what was keeping her asleep, but she couldn't figure it out. Whatever it was, it wasn't the same as Sophia, only similar.

"We need to get them seen to," Emma said. The doctors clearly wouldn't have a clue what was going on, but Emma knew her daughter would be safer hooked up to a life support machine. Though as Emma thought about it, surely the doctors should have noticed what was going on in Sophia's room?

Emma quickly ran into the hallway and saw that everyone was frozen. Clearly Gothel had planned that in advance so that no one would interrupt them. With a wave of her hand, the doctors returned to business, including the one about to enter Sophia's room.

"Please don't ask questions but my daughter's been hurt too," Emma said quickly.

The doctor rushed forward and pressed the help button and not ten minutes later, Lennie was connected to a life support machine on a bed beside Sophia.

Once the doctors left the room, Emma quickly called Zelena to update her on Victoria and within seconds, Zelena arrived.

"What happened?" She asked as she rushed over to her partner. She started running diagnostic spells over her and slowly but surely, Victoria came around.

"Zee?"

"I'm here," she confirmed and pressed a soft kiss to her head. She then helped her off the floor and into the chair beside her. She leant onto Zelena's shoulder and shut her eyes to rest.

Emma turned to Ivy. "What the fuck happened?!"

"It all seemed to happen at once," Ivy sighed as she glanced between Sophia and Lennie. "One minute, Henry and I were in here talking and then Mom was here. I didn't have chance to really speak to her before Jacinda was dragging Henry out of the room, yelling about a fake baby and Gothel started chanting something. Then all of a sudden, Lennie walked in! I tried to call to her, but it was as if she wasn't there. Her eyes were glazed over and she didn't seem in control of her movements. I think that's when Mom realised that something was going wrong and she pressed her necklace for Zelena, but you were sent instead. Anyway, Gothel saw what Mom did and she pushed her to the wall just as Lennie dropped to the floor. I don't know what happened."

Emma looked to her daughter and sighed sadly. "Me neither." She swallowed. "Where did Henry and Jacinda go?"

Ivy bit her lip. "I don't know."

"We need to find them," Zelena said. "Does she know he's awake?"

"No," Ivy replied. "I told him to keep playing the cursed Henry for as long as he could muster. We need to time it right."

"We need to wait until Gothel is gone," Emma said. "Surely she has a weakness. Everyone does. I just can't figure out hers."

"Alice," Victoria croaked, as she leant up from Zelena's shoulder.

"What?" Emma asked, confused as to what her niece's girlfriend had to do with all of this.

"Alice," Victoria repeated, but her voice was growing weaker still. "She's Gothel's weakness."

However, before Emma could ask for any more information, her wedding ring burned. They had taken a leaf out of Zelena's book and charmed their wedding rings to alert the other when in danger or needing the other.

"Regina!" She gasped. She wasted no time before flicking her wrist and reappearing in her wife's room.

Her smoke had barely disappeared before Emma's hands were filled with flames, head swirling around the room as she tried to find the intruder. She wasn't hard to find but fortunately, it wasn't Gothel. This time, it was Jacinda. She was standing at the edge of the bed with Henry tied to a chair beside her.

Emma tried to find her mother and her eyes quickly found her. Somehow, Cora was lying in a heap on the floor.

"Get the fuck away from my wife and children," Emma hissed. She raised her right hand.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jacinda teased with a lilting voice. Emma was suddenly reminded of Rumple when he was in full Dark One mode. She half expected her to call her dearie. "Or Henry will get it."

What Emma had failed to see on her first glance was the fact that Jacinda was holding a knife to his throat. Henry's eyes were wide in fear and desperation.

Immediately, Emma put out the fire. "You wouldn't hurt him. You love him."

"The brat is awake!" She snapped, but there was now an addition of disappointment and sadness in her voice. "He's dead to me either way. I might as well get some satisfaction out of it. First Henry, then Mother, then everyone here."

"Victoria is already half dead," Emma lied. "Gothel got there without you."

Jacinda's flickered with fury and flexed her grip on the blade. "She promised!"

"Empty promises, Jacinda," Emma said. "Now do the right thing and put the knife down. Let Henry go. We can help you."

"Like you would forgive this!" Jacinda scoffed. "Not after what I've done to your granddaughter and children. All I wanted was to be loved but my parents were taken from me and now Henry." She turned to him. "All you had to do was stay cursed and we could live happily ever after!"

Emma had to think on her feet. She needed to get the knife off Jacinda, without it, she was powerless, but one wrong move and the knife would either go straight into Henry's neck or she could throw it at someone else in the room.

Charlotte's cry broke the silence in the room, but Regina was too frightened to move or speak to try and soothe their daughter. Her wails started to fill the room which seemed to anger Jacinda further. She reached up with both hands to block her ears.

"Shut that thing up!" She screamed.

_I wish for Charlotte's cries to be louder but not suffer. I wish for Henry to be free._

With Emma's wishes, Charlotte's cries went up in decibels and the ropes were dropped from around Henry. As soon as he realised he was free, he ran over to his blonde mother and stood just behind her.

Jacinda was none the wise as she shut her eyes, trying to drown out the baby. Regina looked at Emma with worried eyes, but she smiled softly in an attempted to calm her.

"I've got this," she whispered and turned to Henry. "Bring the others to the roof." Before waiting for an answer, Emma rushed forward. She placed a hand on Jacinda's shoulder and poofed them to the roof.

At the sudden silence, Jacinda opened her eyes, just in time to see Emma reach her arm out. Jacinda was then forced into the air, hovering over the edge of the building. She looked down and saw the road beneath her and the moving vehicles and screamed.

"You have two choices, Cinderella," Emma called as she walked closer to her, not releasing the grip. "You tell me everything that Gothel is planning and I'll let you live, or you refuse and you'll be able to join the cars down there."

Jacinda looked down again in fear before snapping her eyes back onto Emma. "I'll tell you!" She cried. "I promise!"

Slowly, Emma retracted her spell and placed Jacinda back on the ground. "You have five seconds before I push you back down."

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Emma Swan," called a voice from behind. The woman raised her hands. "I mean, Emma Swan-Mills."

It seemed Gothel had finally recovered from her fall, however, this time she wasn't alone. Emma glanced back to see Jacinda smirking as Gothel walked close. Her three daemon fairies were circling and suddenly, Emma was surrounded.

Gothel snapped her fingers and Lennie's lifeless body appeared beside her mother. The daemon mother tilted her head to the side. "You know, I've always considered three to be my favourite number. The first two attempts failed but with my sisters by my side and you surrounded, I'm sure take three will be successful."

The five surrounding the blondes stepped forward and linked hands. The two fairies either side of Gothel rested their hands on her shoulder while she reached out.

"Let the takeover commence!"

Emma tried to conjure her magic, but she wasn't quick enough. Before she knew it, the green beam of light hit her like a tonne of bricks and then everything went black.

_A/N: A quick warning that there won't be a chapter on Thursday as usual as I'm in London. Don't hate me too much!_


	49. Chapter 49

When Emma woke up, she found herself lying in a semi-comfortable bed with a very irritating beeping surrounding her, focussing a little more she could tell it was an intermittent, automised beeping. Her eyes slowly fluttered opened and she squinted at the bright lights. It didn't take her long to realise that she was in a hospital room. Her main question was how the hell did she end up there?

"Good morning, sweetheart," murmured a soft, familiar voice beside her.

Emma's eyes flashed opened as she was met with her favourite brown eyes. "Gin-." Her voice was croaky that she couldn't finish her wife's nickname. Regina lifted a glass of water to her lips and after a few sips of the cool water, she tried again. "Ginny! Where's the baby? Where are the girls? Where are Gothel and Jacinda? What happened?"

The machine beside Emma started to beep louder and faster as her heartbeat accelerated in her panic. The beeping only served to annoy Emma further and she had half a mind to wish herself out of her bed.

"Honey, calm down. One question at a time," Regina instructed, her voice still soft. "Lennie and Sophia are there." She nodded to the other side of the room where the girls were still hooked up to machines. However, the room wasn't the same as where Sophia had been staying. "We requested a family room. They don't usually do it, but Rumple's persuasion skills are impressive."

"Where's Charlotte?" Emma asked.

"She's here," Regina replied and nodded to the baby carrier which was placed behind her. "She's asleep but very excited to meet her other mother. And as for what happened, it's a very long story. Let me get the doctor to check you over because this is the first time you've been properly conscious in three days."

Before Emma could question it, Regina pressed the buzzer and a doctor came in.

"Ah, Mrs West, it's wonderful to see you awake," the doctor greeted. So, the curse was still in full force if the doctor was referring to her with Regina's cursed name. "I'm Doctor Kip. Can I examine you?"

He was pulling his torch out of his pocket to check her eyes before she could answer. After five minutes of various tasks, he took a step back and deemed her okay.

"We'll be keeping you in for a few days to monitor you, but you're doing well. Give me a shout if you need anything." He noted everything down before he was on his way.

Charlotte then began to stir and whimper, so Regina quickly picked her up before settling on Emma's bed. She quickly arranged herself to start feeding the baby while Emma reached out to stroke her daughter's cheek. That was when she saw there was a drip attached to her arm.

"Ginny, please, where is everyone? What happened?" Emma asked.

Regina took her eyes away from the baby and looked at Emma. "First things first, everyone is fine and Gothel and Jacinda are gone."

"Gone?"

"Well Jacinda is definitely dead and Gothel is, umm, a tree?"

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "A tree? Now you really need to tell me everything." Over the years they had seen and been through a lot, but a tree was a new one to Emma. It sounded even more ludicrous than the time she and Hook had ended up falling through Zelena's time portal; or the time the Author sent them into another universe or her parents' sacrificing of Maleficent's baby.

With a deep breath to steady herself, Regina started telling the blonde what happened after she was surrounded on the roof.

As soon as Emma had poofed herself and Jacinda to the roof, Henry had crossed the room and kissed his mother on her forehead before crouching down beside Cora.

"Grandma, you've got to wake up," he roused and slowly, Cora's eyes started to flutter opened. "I'm going to get the others and save Ma. I'll be back soon."

"Henry!" Regina called.

"I'll stay safe, don't worry," he said with a small smile. "I'm your son after all."

And with that, he ran out of the room, his phone to his ear calling Ivy to get to the roof. As she was with Zelena and Victoria, they made their way there too. As he ran, he found Robyn and Alice who had been keeping guard at the end of the corridor.

"Roof, now!" He instructed. Alice took hold of Robyn's hand and she snapped her fingers. In a flash of light, they disappeared. He then pulled out his phone once more and called his grandfather. Rumple had barely answered the call before Henry cried, "Get to the roof!" and hung up.

With everyone now alerted, he just had to find his way up there himself. However, just as he went to find the stairs, he was swept up in a cloud of burgundy and seconds later, he was standing beside his grandfather.

"Thanks," he murmured before looking out see where they were. They were in the far corner of the roof but all they could see from the fair end were flashes of lights. It was hard to distinguish what was going on. "MA!"

"Henry, wait," Rumple instructed, placing a gently restraining hand on his irate grandson's arm. "We need to stop them without anyone getting hurt."

Henry swallowed in nervousness before slowly nodding. It seemed he was out of practice in dealing with their family's particular brand of craziness.

Ivy, Alice and Zelena then stepped forward to meet Rumple, each one murmuring a spell he had told them to use. In unison, the four of them started slowly walking towards the flashing lights and their arms started waving in a unique pattern. A small crimson flame was produced in their palms and as they moved their hands, it grew larger.

As they got closer, whatever spell they were using was dulling the flashes of light and Henry dared to take a step forward.

"Wait," Victoria murmured as she reached out to hold his arm back. She was slightly shocked to find that he did not remove himself from her loose grip. "They will call us when it's safe."

He still had hundreds of questions flying around his head that featured Victoria, but he knew now was not the time to ask them. If Ivy trusted her now, then so should he; at least for now.

By now, the group had made their way across the roof and were slowly closing in on the evil sorceresses. However, one wrong move could be fatal, the roof was not exactly safe.

With a slight nod of Rumple's head, everyone reached out and threw the crimson ball directly at the witch in front of them. Gothel flew high into the air, breaking off any spell she had been casting. The daemon fairies dropped like flies as the magical connection broke off and Jacinda's eyes flew wide in fear as she was the only one left standing on the ground.

Zelena immediately dropped to the floor to check on Emma whose body was writhing and shaking uncontrollably while Ivy went after Jacinda who was starting to run in any direction she could. Unfortunately for her, she allowed herself to be backed into the corner of the roof.

By this time, Henry had rushed over to his fiancée to be by her side during the confrontation he'd been wanting since he'd woken up.

"Why did you do it?" He demanded as soon as he was in speaking distance. "You ripped me away from Ivy and my family in both Realms. Why?"

Jacinda swallowed. "I just wanted to be happy and be loved by you."

"But I love Ivy," he stated. "You knew that from the start! I can't believe you would do something like this."

Ivy scoffed, unable to keep it in. "I can. You've always been jealous of me and I have no idea why when you got everything. When you came into my life, all I wanted was a sister, but you just took my mother away and became my enemy. Then you took Henry! I wish I were more like Emma and offer you redemption, but I can't." She repeated Emma's actions, unbeknownst that Emma had actual done the very same not fifteen minutes earlier, and reached out, pushing Jacinda so that she was teetering on the ledge. One more move and she'd be dead.

"Don't do this, Drizella!" Jacinda warned. "You don't know what'll happen to you. Gothel will–"

"You can't threaten me," Ivy hissed, cutting off what Jacinda was about to say. Looking over her shoulder she saw that Gothel was still in the air and wouldn't be let down any time soon if Rumple had it his way. "I don't think Gothel will be saving you anymore."

Jacinda looked down at the traffic before turning back to the two before her. "I promise I'll change. I can be the sister you've always wanted. You, me and Mother can be a proper family."

"We should give her a chance," Henry murmured and at that moment, Ivy could see what Regina meant about Snow and Charming always giving people second chances even when they weren't deserved. It was a trait that had somehow skipped a generation in Emma but hit Henry in full force. Ivy had never met the Charmings but over the years with Regina and even Cora and Zelena to a lesser extent (though never with Emma), Ivy had gleaned that the duo offered limitless second chances without any thought for the consequences, at least when it suited Snow; she hoped that her fiancé could learn to be more like Emma, who, despite being the Saviour, had always tempered her forgiveness with proper thought and not righteousness.

Unable to say no to her fiancé, Ivy's hand started to retract, albeit rather reluctantly. She trusted Emma's instincts as much as she had ever trusted her own and both had always said not to trust Jacinda or Gothel; but for Henry, she would do almost anything, including ignoring her instincts.

"Thank you!" Jacinda cried as she took a step forward. She rushed to Henry and wrapped her arms around him. Despite the faint light on the roof, Ivy saw the glimmer of a blade in the moonlight.

"NO!" Ivy blasted the knife out of Jacinda's hand, but her spell was so powerful in her anger that she overshot it and hit Jacinda in the chest making the woman fly off the side of the building and drop over the edge of the roof. They ran over and looked down to see her crumbled body lying on the floor, passers-by already rushing forward to help. Even from where they were, they knew nothing could save her.

However, before either Ivy or Henry could question what had just happened, another ear-splitting scream was heard.

Turning, they rushed towards where the rest of the family were. By now, Robyn and Victoria had run over to find out what was going on and the former had an arrow ready in her quiver, to fire at a moment's notice. Henry had also realised that Nook was with them now too, his fake hand had been replaced once more with his hook and a gun was aloft in the other.

Emma and Lennie were wrapped in two balls of energy, glowing around their bodies to keep them alive while they didn't know what was going on. Zelena was standing beside them, her hands aglow with green flames, ready to launch should Gothel try to come for them. However, she was too busy with her face-off with Rumple.

The Dark One had set alight to the ground beneath her so that when she stirred from the enchantment the group had cast on her, her feet would be hit with small flames. Larger ones would fly out at any moment and run up her spine. Only one had happened thus far which was the cause of the scream. It was an old torture technique Rumple had only saved for enemies during his darkest days, but it was the only way he saw fit for the daemon mother.

"You only have yourself to blame, Gothel," Rumple muttered darkly. "You had all the potential to be the mother of the earth, but you ruined it all with daemons and revenge."

"Hark you can talk!" She retorted despite the incredible amount of pain she was in. "Your life has always been about revenge."

"And now I know that it is not the answer!" He snapped back. "I have so much love in my life it does wonders for the soul. Even for one as black as mine. You had your chance years ago with your daughter but when she chose love over a blackened heart like yours, you crumbled."

"You know nothing!" Her statement was followed by another scream as larger fireball ripped up her spine, scorching her clothes and the tips of her hair, but not yet actually scalding her skin.

"But I know," said another voice.

Robyn turned to the side to see Alice stepping forward. "Tower Girl, what are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago," she murmured before stepping forwards.

She turned the daemon mother and with a few snaps of her fingers, the fire was put out and Gothel was standing once more on the floor. However, her feet were surrounded by tree roots so that she couldn't move and her arms were tied behind her back with vines so that she couldn't access her magic.

"I was born out of desperation," Alice murmured. "You tricked my father to save you and as soon as I was born, you left me. Then when he went to get help, you cursed him! You're the most selfish person I've ever met. You cursed me so that I would become insane because I was the only one who knew what happened. Why did you curse us all?"

Gothel's eyes narrowed. "I was promised to be Mother Earth!"

"That doesn't answer the question, _Mother_!" The last word was spit out like poison.

Even Robyn gasped as the sheer venom that Alice was spitting. She had never heard her girlfriend speak so darkly.

"Glory!" Gothel shrieked. "I wanted children to restore the glory of my people. Our people. I couldn't do it alone. Jacinda was the only one who truly wanted to help me."

"Because she was just as twisted as you!" Alice snapped. "You have one last chance to give me what I want to hear or I am done with you."

Robyn rushed over to her and took hold of her hand. No words were needed as Alice felt the strength of her girlfriend's love and when her father took hold of her other hand, she felt even stronger.

"You!" Gothel hissed. "You should be writhing in pain."

Nook smirked. "Alas, no. A little girl thought of a flower that heals anything." He glanced over at Lennie as Rumple had filled him in already on the curse. "That little girl is more powerful than you'll ever be and so is mine."

Alice smiled at her father before turning back to her mother. "I'm still waiting."

Gothel laughed humourlessly. "I wish you'd never been born!"

"Wrong answer." Alice released her family's hands and took one step forward. "If you'd just chosen love, all of this would have been different. We could have been a family and we could have helped our people in the right way. But no, you had to surround yourself by hate. Goodbye, Gothel!"

And with that, she reached out and blasted her other with a bright white light. The tree roots surrounding her feet began to slowly grow upwards, turning her skin into wood and her arms into branches. Gothel let out one final scream before her mouth was turned into a knot of a gnarled tree; transformation complete.

The group was silent as they took in everything that had just happened in the last thirty minutes before Robyn started to chuckle quietly.

"A tree, Alice, really?"

Alice turned to her girlfriend and winked. "Well, she wanted to be Mother Earth. What's more earth-like than a tree?"

Robyn just shook her head before pulling her love into a kiss.

"What are we going to do about these?" Nook asked as he pointed to the daemon fairies who were yet to awaken.

Rumple dropped down and checked their pulses. "There's nothing to be done. Gothel drained them for everything they had. They're dead." He stood back up and ran his hand over their bodies, turning each one to ash.

Nook sighed. "Gothel's dead, so why is the curse still surrounding us?"

"That's a very good question," Rumple murmured. "We'll have to figure that one out."

"Ma!" Henry cried as ran over to Zelena who had finally put out her venom fire. "Is she alright? We need to get her downstairs."

Between Nook and Henry, they carried Emma down the stairs while Rumple carried Lennie. They headed towards Sophia's room where Rumple downright swore that all three needed to be in the same room for monitoring. The hospital staff were all so terrified of the police detective that they rushed to it.

Within ten minutes, Sophia was brought into a larger room where Emma and Lennie had been set up just as the dawn was breaking.

"We'd better go tell your mother and grandmother what happened," Rumple murmured.

"I'll stay here with them," Ivy said.

"We'll stay too, if that's alright?" Victoria asked.

Ivy smiled. "I'd love nothing better."

Henry kissed Ivy sweetly. "You're amazing," he muttered after another kiss.

"We're going to head home," Robyn murmured. "Call me if anything happens."

"I will," Zelena promised her daughter, smiling at both her and Alice, the two had a lot of catching up to do.

And with that, Alice took hold of Robyn's hand and Nook took hold of his daughter's shoulder and they disappeared in a flash. Henry and Rumple then started to make their way back to Regina's room to tell her and Cora what had happened.

When they arrived, the two had been asleep, Regina in the bed and Cora in the chair beside them. Despite the worry, the exhaustion had taken over them. Rumple gently roused his partner while Henry woke his mother.

"Emma?" Regina murmured, her wife always her first thought.

"It's me, Mom," Henry replied softly. "I'm back."

"First things first, Emma and Lennie are alive," Rumple said quickly as he could see the flash of worry over their faces that the two blondes weren't with them. "They're upstairs in a coma. Emma's in for head trauma, she will wake up by herself, the doctors said, but Lennie is a mystery to them. Just like Sophia."

"I need to see them," Reginia said adamantly as she started to fight her way out of bed before Cora stopped her.

"You can't leave yet," she murmured before looking at Rumple. "Tell us what happened."

Rumple and Henry then started filling them in on what had happened over the past hour. Both Regina and Cora gasped at the right places and when Henry revealed that Ivy had pushed Jacinda over the edge of the building, Regina couldn't help the small smile of delight.

"She had it coming to her," she muttered darkly.

"What happened to Gothel?" Cora asked to take her daughter's thoughts away the darkness.

"Alice turned her into a tree," Henry replied, biting his lips to prevent himself from laughing.

"How fitting," Cora said. "Now she really is the mother of the earth."

"Exactly what Alice said," Rumple added.

Just then, the doctor entered to give Regina and the baby a check-up.

"Everything looks perfectly in order, Mrs West," he said as she finished writing up his notes. "You and baby Charlotte can leave."

"Thank you!" Regina said but just as she went to stand up, Charlotte started to stir. "I'll just feed her before we leave."

Immediately, Rumple and Henry turned to give her some privacy which ended Regina's story.

"After that, we've just been here for the past three days, taking turns to keep you all company until you woke up," Regina finished.

"So, I didn't really do anything to help defeat them?" Emma asked as she watched Regina burp their daughter.

"On the contrary, honey, you gathered everyone together," Regina replied. "Would you like to hold her?"

Emma nodded emphatically as she slowly adjusted herself in the bed. Regina then placed their daughter in her arms and Emma felt like she could breathe again. Yes, she was still worried about Lennie and Sophia, but having one of her children in her arms was better than nothing. She made a mental note to speak to Ivy about how she was doing, but for now, her daughter and wife were the most important things.

"She's absolute perfection," Emma murmured as she leant down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "I'm so proud of you."

Regina leant forward and kissed Emma sweetly. "I couldn't have done any of this without you. You know that, right?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Emma said as she leant in for another kiss.

A quiet knock pulled the two out of their moment. Turning around, their entire family were standing outside the door. With a chuckle, Emma called for them to enter and immediately, Henry was by her side.

"Ma!"

"Kid!"

Being careful of his sister, Henry leant over to give his mother a hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," she said. "I'm so glad you're awake. Maybe now you'll stop flirting with me."

Henry's face flushed red as she remembered the first time his cursed persona had met Emma. "Let's never talk of that again."

Emma laughed. "Nope, this is something you should be teased with mercilessly."

"Now, now, Emma, don't be cruel to your son," Cora scolded but the grin on her face kind of counteracted her words.

"Yes, Mother," she joked.

"How are you feeling?" Cora asked.

"Much better now you lot are here," Emma said. "But how are you feeling? Ginny said you were knocked out."

Cora glowered. "Somehow that bitch got hold of poppy seeds and sent me to sleep. Fortunately, Henry was able to wake me before I drifted off too far."

"Talking about drifting off, has the curse broken yet?" Emma asked and the whole room went silent. "Surely if Gothel and Jacinda are dead, the curse should have automatically broken?"

Rumple bit his lip as he tried to think of how to word it. "Well, Gothel isn't technically dead," he decided to say. "She's just in a different form."

Emma raised her eyes brows and sighed. "Of course. Then can't we burn down the tree?"

"Umm no," Alice said. "I turned her into a tree so that I didn't fully kill her. It kind of defeats the point. I mean, she is my mother after all."

Silence filled the room as no one knew what to say to follow on from Alice's point. Emma looked down at her daughter as if Charlotte would be able to tell her the answer. Yet as she stared at her, all she could see was Regina. Regina's nose, lips and dark hair. She got her mini me and when her eyes fluttered opened to take in her mother, Emma saw her own green eyes staring back at her. Charlotte's features were the opposite of Lennie and her heart filled with pure love.

Leaning down, she pressed another kiss on Charlotte's head and as she breathed in her wonderful baby smell, it hit her.

"True Loves Kiss," she murmured quietly. "But I don't mean a small kiss like when we've awoken Henry. I mean like mega." She turned to Victoria. "You said that family was weaved into Gothel's curse, right?" Victoria nodded slowly, not quite sure where Emma was going with this. As the blonde looked around the room, she saw that no one was on the same page as her. "And my name was weaved in too in regards to Henry, somehow, which is why he started to wake up when he heard my name?" Again, people were nodding, but clearly still not following. "Then it's simple. True Loves Kiss needs to be performed by families and Henry and I need to be included."

Slowly, she started to lean up. She passed Charlotte to Cora who immediately accepted her youngest granddaughter.

"Emma, you need to rest!" Regina said.

"No, we need to do this," Emma replied as she pulled the drip machine behind her as she crossed the room to Lennie. "Ginny, come here." She pointed to the other side of Lennie's bed. "Henry, Ivy, stand at either side of Sophia's bed. Mom, I need you to count down from three and as soon as she says one, we kiss our daughters on the forehead."

"What if it doesn't work?" Ivy said. She didn't want to get her hopes up at having her daughter back if it didn't.

Henry glanced up at his mother and smiled. "It will," he assured her. "I have the heart of the truest believer and I believe in this."

Emma flashed a grateful smile at her son before nodding to Cora.

Cora herself still looked a little bit apprehensive but she followed Emma's instruction and started counting down from three. When she got to one, the four parents leant down and kissed their daughters on their foreheads, thinking words of True Love.

As soon as their lips brushed their skin, a ripple of light shot from each of them and blasted through the room and around Hyperion Heights.

Lennie and Sophia's eyes shot up and as they dragged in their first breaths in a long time.

"Moms!" Lennie cried.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Sophia gasped.

It had been such a long time since they had heard their daughters' voices that it was music to their ears. It only meant one thing:

Finally, the curse had been broken.


	50. Chapter 50

"Lennie!" Emma breathed as she pulled her daughter close, being wary of all the wires between the two of them.

"Mommy, I am so sorry!" Lennie cried before sobbing into her mother's neck. "I don't know how it happened. I didn't mean to, but Gothel made me."

"Shush, honey," Emma hushed as she hugged Lennie close. "It's okay. We know you didn't mean to."

Regina then joined the hug. "Your mother is right, sweetheart. It's us who failed you."

"No!" Lennie all but screamed. However, it was so loud that the baby started to tear up.

Cora quickly brought the baby over to her mothers. Regina's arms were already open ready to take her. As Charlotte was placed in her arms, she started to quieten down.

Lennie glanced down at the baby and took in a deep breath. "Is this…?"

Emma nodded. "This is your baby sister."

"What's her name?" Lennie asked.

Regina then coughed so that everyone in the room would quieten down. Henry and Ivy turned from where they were having their reunion with Sophia and the others stopped their conversations.

"With everything that was going on, I didn't want to reveal the baby's full name without Emma," Regina said. "I know everyone knows her first name by now, but only Mother and Zelena know her middle name. I wanted to wait until Emma was awake so we could explain the meaning behind her name together." She glanced at Emma, smiling encouragingly. "Em, if you would like to do the honours."

Emma smiled at her wife softly before looking to the room. "Everyone, this is Charlotte Rose Swan-Mills. Charlotte because it's a beautiful name and it means 'free man'. We are all free to be who we want to be and we wanted that for little Charlie. And for Rose, we chose a name inspired by someone Regina has known for a while and someone I've come to know as a friend, sister and daughter all wrapped up in one. Roses have thorns and sometimes ivy can be poisonous, but that doesn't mean they don't have amazing qualities. With that said, Ivy, Henry, we'd like you to be Charlotte's godparents."

As Ivy heard what Emma was saying, she started to tear up. Slowly she walked the short space between Sophia and Lennie's beds and reached out to stroke Charlotte's head softly.

"I'd love nothing more," Ivy murmured before glancing at her mothers in law to be. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," Emma replied as she took hold of Ivy's hand. "We wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you. You're amazing, Ivy. Our son is very lucky to have you."

Ivy glanced over her shoulder to where Sophia was clinging to her father and Henry had his arm wrapped around their daughter as he smiled lovingly at his fiancée. It was a beautiful sight to behold until Lennie spoke.

"Moms, I'm hungry."

And with that, the moment was ruined but the love wasn't lost.

"We'd better get you some food then," Emma chuckled.

oOoOo

As instructed, Emma had to stay in the hospital for another few days. Despite the curse being broken, the doctors were adamant as she'd still been in an actual coma despite the curse. Lennie and Sophia also had to stay in but the three were allowed to stay in the same room to keep each other company.

With the curse now broken, the other girls who had been attacked by Gothel and Sophia had woken too. However, they were able to leave before Emma and the girls as their injuries had been less severe. Emma was a little bit jealous that they got to go because the hospital walls were starting to drive her a little crazy after only twenty-four hours.

However, the three were never alone for long. Everyone took it in shifts to visit them with Regina and Charlotte staying the majority of the time. Robyn either came with Alice or her mother so that she could spend more time with Lennie.

When Emma watched her daughter and niece interact, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of sadness. Lennie had spent the first seven years of her life playing and learning with Robyn. Yes, that could still happen, but now Robyn was older, it knocked the balance off slightly.

"They're still the same," Zelena murmured one afternoon when Emma had mentioned it to her. "They still adore each other and can play together but now Robbie is a bit older, she'll make sure they don't get into half as much trouble as they used to."

Emma chuckled as she remembered the antics the two used to get themselves in when they were in Wonderland. The pranks became sneakier when Lennie's magic had come into play.

Looking up, Emma saw Lennie was leaning into Robyn's side while she read the tales of Alice in Wonderland to her. To add to it, Sophia was sat on Robyn's other side. They looked adorable.

When it was time for the three to leave the hospital, Emma was a bit confused when Cora and Ivy turned up without Regina.

"Charlotte is being fussy," Cora explained as she hugged Lennie in greeting. "Otherwise she would have been here."

"That's fine," Emma replied before looking back to the doctor. "So, we're good to go?"

"Definitely, Mrs Swan-Mills," he affirmed as he passed the discharge forms to Emma. She signed her own and Lennie's before passing it over to Ivy to sign Sophia's. "Have a good afternoon."

"Thank you," Emma said before she turned to her daughter. "Ready to go home?"

Lennie's eyes lit up with excitement. "YES!"

With a chuckle, Cora and Emma took hold of Lennie's hand and Cora flicked her wrist, poofing them back to the apartment. Seconds later, Ivy's cloud of blue appeared beside them.

The group were met with a loud cheer and Henry rushed over to his fiancée and daughter as Zelena walked over to Emma.

"Welcome home, sis!" She greeted with a hug.

"Thanks! It's great to be back," Emma said. "Where's Ginny?" She asked after scanning the room and realising her wife wasn't there.

"In your room with Charlie," Zelena replied. Barely a week old and Emma's nickname for her daughter had already been picked up by most of the family. Regina and Cora were the only ones to called her Charlotte, but even then Cora slipped up on occasion.

Emma then took off to find her wife and as per Zelena's words, she was in their room, in the middle of changing Charlotte's nappy.

"You are much more patient than your brother!" Regina cooed. "Yes, you are, my darling."

"Hey," Emma greeted softly.

Regina looked up from the naked baby in front of her and grinned. "I won't be a second."

She quickly finished changing the baby and putting her in a royal purple onesie before picking her up.

"Welcome home," Regina said finally as she kissed Emma in greeting. "I'm sorry I wasn't there but Charlotte wouldn't settle for anyone so I–"

Emma swallowed the rest of Regina's sentence with a passionate kiss. "I love you," she breathed as they parted, resting her forehead on her wife's.

"I love you too," Regina replied, wearing a bemused smile, slightly dazed from the power of Emma's kiss. "Glad to be back?"

"Definitely," Emma murmured before kissing Charlotte on her forehead and pressing a soft kiss to Regina's lips before they decided to head out.

The two returned to the living room where the party was in full swing. Rumple was talking to Nook in the corner. The wish-pirate had been automatically slotted into family occasions and Emma didn't mind. She did notice that his hook had been replaced, not by a fake hand, but by a real one. She found out later that Rumple had bestowed it as a gift to the pirate for helping him out. Emma wondered if it was so she could disassociate him with the monster she once knew. Either way, she didn't mind.

Cora and Zelena were sitting on sofa with Alice and Robyn. It seemed Cora was trying to find out everything that had happened to her granddaughter since she had left Wonderland and she was prying all the information she could about her relationship. Alice was blushing as Robyn revealed how they got together which involved a troll and Emma's yellow car, but Cora was lapping it all up.

On another sofa, Sophia was sitting on her mother's lap with Ivy chatting to Victoria. It seemed that the two had finally patched up their relationship and Emma was happy to see it.

Finally, on the last sofa, Henry was sitting with Lennie, getting to know his sister. She looked alive and happy as she chatted to her brother.

When the two had been properly introduced in the hospital room, Lennie had been a little bit apprehensive but the more they talked, the more she relaxed. They were siblings after all and their humour was rather similar.

Emma and Regina made their way over to their oldest two and sat beside Lennie, with Emma pulling their daughter onto her knee.

"And then we met Baron!" Lennie was saying. "Mom says we can go get him when we're back in Storybrooke."

Henry raised an eyebrow as he turned to his adoptive mother. "You're going to let a Bandersnatch loose in Storybrooke?"

Regina looked a little apprehensive herself but Emma just chuckled. "He's very tame and Len has him wrapped around her finger. He won't hurt a fly. Though, we can always test him out on Snow."

However, before Henry could question Emma's negative words against her mother, Robyn called the room to order. She stood up from where she was sitting.

"While we're surrounded by family," she began, her voice was a little shaky with nerves. "As most of you know, Alice and I have been together quite a while, both as ourselves and as Margot and Tilly. Just before the curse hit, I had a plan, but it was delayed a little bit. However, yesterday, I re-asked Killi for his permission and last night, Alice said yes!" She raised Alice's left hand and there on her forth finger was a glittering jewel. "Alice and I are getting married!"

The entire room erupted in cheers and celebration with Cora going to get a bottle of champagne. However, as the decibels rose, Charlotte began to cry which quietened everyone down immediately.

"Sorry, Auntie Gina, I didn't think that one through," Robyn muttered, biting her lip guiltily.

"Don't worry about it," Regina chuckled as she gently rocked the baby to calm her down. "I'm so happy for you. For both of you."

Henry then stood up and stood beside Ivy. "While we're on the topic, Ivy and I would like to announce that we are finally going to start wedding planning. We want it sooner rather than later, but we want it to take place in Storybrooke."

Emma took in a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. "I guess we'd better plan how to get back then."

oOoOo

A couple of days passed and everything was completely different than it had been. However, that was to be expected. Regina and Emma were busy with being new parents and the two were exhausted. Charlotte was a fussy baby. She cried often and would only calm down whenever she was held by Regina. Emma was a little bit jealous, but she couldn't blame the baby. She was also a fan of being held by Regina.

However, their nights weren't just interrupted by Charlotte's crying. They were often stirred by Lennie's shouts. Since the traumatic event, she was plagued with nightmares and the night terrors had hit in full force. Cora had initially placed another dreamcatcher in her room, but it didn't seem to be working. She would only settle with Emma or Regina sitting beside her.

After three nights of being awoken, Emma slipped out of her bedroom and entered Lennie's. The young girl was sitting bolt upright in her bed, panting as she tried to calm herself down.

"Mom!" She cried as Emma made her way over.

"It's okay," Emma said gently as she perched on Lennie's bed. "I'm here."

"She keeps coming to me in my dreams all over again," Lennie whispered. "She keeps calling me and telling me to walk to her. I don't want to walk towards her, Mommy."

She curled into Emma's side as she ran her fingers down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Emma said softly. "We should have protected you better. We got so caught up in the wedding that we didn't think to boost the enchantments we placed on you. I promise you, monkey, no one will ever take you again. You're stuck with me forever. I love you."

"I love you, too," Lennie murmured and yawned but Emma knew that she was still too awake to fall asleep.

"Let's read something, shall we?" She suggested as she picked up Henry's storybook beside her. Lennie had already loved the book, but now she knew that her brother had written it and everything was true, she loved it even more. "Where did we last get to?"

Lennie peaked over to see the book as Emma flicked through. "There!" She called. "When you came back from New York with Henry and he thinks that you and Mom were exes."

Emma chuckled as she couldn't deny it. As she read to her daughter, she remembered how she felt when she had first returned. When her memories had returned, she realised how much she missed her family and, more importantly, Regina. It only hit her now that she was jealous of Robin for having Regina, not the fact that Regina was happy when her almost fiancé had been a flying monkey.

After several pages, Lennie's eyes started to flutter shut but Emma kept reading, keeping her voice soothing so that her daughter wouldn't start waking up to complain. Once she heard the steady breathing, she knew that Lennie had finally fallen asleep.

_I wish you a night free of nightmares_.

Emma ran her hand gently over her daughter's body, wishing her nightmares away. She knew it wouldn't last, but it was better than nothing. In the morning, she would definitely look into finding something to keep her nightmares away permanently.

Gently, she slipped off the bed and headed back into her bedroom to see Regina sitting up in bed feeding Charlotte.

"There you are," she whispered as to not disturb the baby. She wasn't fully awake, she'd manage to start feeding her before she fully stirred knowing that a quick feed would settle her once more.

"Hey," Emma replied back, just as quietly. She reached out to softly stroke Charlotte's head and pressed a soft kiss to Regina's cheek. "We need to figure out how to help her nightmares. My wishes only seem to last for a few hours at a time."

Regina sighed. "I have a book on dreams back in my vault in Storybrooke. I don't exactly know where to be able to magic it here."

Emma bit her lip. "We really are going to have to go back, aren't we?"

"I thought you wanted to go back?" Regina asked.

As she asked the question, Charlotte finished feeding and had drifted back off into a deep sleep. Emma gently pulled her off her wife to cuddle her while Regina's buttoned up her pyjama top. Regina offered to take the baby back, but Emma was content to keep her sleeping daughter in her arms, staring at her while she spoke.

"Part of me really can't wait," she said slowly. "It's where we met and where we fell in love." Finally, she looked up to share a small smile with her wife. Regina leant over and kissed her cheek softly, not denying the blonde's words. "But it's also where my mother and that monster are. I don't want the girls around him."

Regina sighed once more. "May I?" She indicated to the baby and Emma finally let Charlotte go so that the brunette could gently place her back in her crib. Once done, she returned to the bed and opened her arm, allowing Emma to snuggle in.

"Yes, he's there," Regina continued, "but so am I and so is our family. None of us will let him get anywhere close. I could kill him for what he did to you, but I promise, I will protect you. You're my wife, Em, and I'll protect you for as long as I live."

"We'll protect each other," Emma said as she pulled her wife in for a kiss. She wanted nothing more than to make love to her, but she was still too delicate after only giving birth just over a week ago. She could wait. "I really do love you."

Regina kissed her wife softly, allowing their tongues to dance slowly. "I love you too."

oOoOo

A few days passed and Emma called the family back to the apartment. She had even included Sabine and Remy as she knew they needed to be included in her announcement. Sabine, who was now going once more by Tiana, and Ivy greeted each other warmly as the two had been close before the curse struck. Remy seemed to stay on his own before Nook pulled him into a conversation. Much to Emma's amusement, she found out the man had actually been a rat before the curse hit and he was convinced that he would be returned to that state any moment.

Everyone gathered in the living room, squeezing onto sofas while Emma stood up at the front. Regina was standing beside her holding Charlotte to her chest.

"So, we've been thinking and speaking to most of you and we've come to a pretty firm decision," Emma began after stopping the numerous quiet conversations floating around the room. "It's time for us to go back to Storybrooke."

"What about those who don't come from there?" Remy asked.

"The choice is yours," Emma replied. "You can either come with us or stay here. We won't force you."

Remy nodded before shrinking back, no further questions needed.

Emma scanned the room. "Any questions?"

"How will we get back?" Zelena asked. "I mean, Storybrooke is in another time zone at the moment. If we go back right now, we'll bump into old versions of ourselves. Plus, I go back in a couple of years, so we'd have to go after then too."

"I hadn't thought of that," Emma muttered more to herself than to the room.

"We've not figured out the means yet," Regina said to the group. "Just that we will be going back."

"Well, I'm happy to join you all," Tiana said. "I don't have any reason to stay behind. Plus, I want to be there for Ivy and Henry's wedding."

Ivy flashed a smile at her friend, but Emma noted that it didn't quite meet her eyes. Ivy had been rather quiet after the battle which Emma noted to keep an eye on.

It had also been decided that Ivy would keep using her cursed name as she had never really been a fan of Drizella. Only her mother could get away with calling her Drizzie. Emma had tried once and she'd received a powerful zap up her arm. She hadn't said it since.

"Then it's decided even more so," Emma said. "We'll start looking at a way to get back at the right time and we'll let you know once we've done it."

With that said, the group dispersed. Remy and Tiana headed off to get to Roni's to start the afternoon shift and Robyn and Alice left just after them. Lennie then ran over to Sophia and pulled her into her bedroom so that they could play without having to listen to the 'boring' adult conversations.

After the attack, Sophia, like Ivy, had gotten even quieter than she had been, but Lennie was still able to get her talking. Part of it was because she'd gone through the same thing and she could help Sophia through it.

"Soph is still having nightmares," Ivy murmured as she watched the two run away. "I can't figure out how to stop it."

Regina crossed the room and sat beside her almost daughter in law. "Another reason we're going back. I have a book on it all in my vault."

While Regina and Ivy were talking, Emma walked over to Rumple and Cora who had been chatting quietly in the corner.

"So how are we going to get back?" She asked. "A magic bean won't take us to the right time."

Cora smiled softly. "That's where you come in."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Rumple flicked his wrist and produced a small, clear magic bean. "With this."

The blonde was still rather confused as she took the bean from Rumple's hand. "But how?"

"By wishing," Rumple said simply. "Beans work by thoughts. If you wish while thinking, it'll take us anywhere."

"Why are you so sure this'll work?" Emma asked, a hint of fear and vulnerability in her voice.

"Because you're Emma Swan-Mills," Cora replied as she reached out to squeeze Emma's knee. "You can do anything you put your mind to."

"Except protect my children from curses and evil people," Emma muttered darkly. "_He_'s going to be there. What if he goes after Lennie again?"

Rumple's brows narrowed. "If he so much touches one hair on any of my grandchildren's heads, I will kill him this time."

"Rumple," Cora murmured softly, her calm voice bringing him out of the darkness.

The Dark One shifted and leant back, trying to relax himself. "We can leave whenever you're ready."

He then stood up and walked over to Nook. Emma wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it looked serious, so she didn't go and interrupt.

"Mother!" Zelena called.

"Excuse me for a moment," Cora said before standing up and joining Zelena and Victoria in the corner.

Her place was soon taken by Regina who had returned to the living room after changing Charlotte.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Regina murmured as Emma wrapped her arm around her wife, tucking the bean into her pocket.

"They're worth much more than that," Emma sassed before she looked up at her wife. "Just thinking how to get back to Storybrooke. Cora and Rumple seem to think that me wishing us there on a bean will work."

Regina considered her words for a moment. "I don't see why it wouldn't. We've already seen that your wishes can create something pretty amazing."

Unable to help it, they both looked down at the now sleeping baby in Regina's arm. "She is pretty amazing," Emma echoed. "But that's because she looks like you."

Regina smiled softly. Whereas Lennie was blonde and pale like Emma with Regina's eyes, Charlotte had a more olive complexion and Emma's green eyes. It was too soon to see what her hair was like as she wasn't blessed with a full head of hair, but Emma was already convinced she would have thick luscious chocolate brown hair.

"You can do this," Regina said, repeating what Cora said earlier. "And then we'll move into the mansion and Mother can live with Rumple. We can finally have a home to ourselves."

Emma chuckled, understanding what Regina was meaning. She loved living with Cora, but her raised eyebrows or knowing looks on a morning when the two had forgotten to cast a silencing spell were enough to turn them off for a week.

"I can't wait," Emma said as she pulled Regina in for a kiss. "When should we do it?"

"Sunday?" Regina suggested. "We can start April in Storybrooke then."

Emma nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

oOoOo

The next couple of days were spent packing up whatever people needed to take from Hyperion Heights to Storybrooke. Everything was then miniaturised by Rumple and Cora so that nothing would be heavy or difficult to carry. Emma had to laugh when she saw Cora berating Zelena who was trying to hide the fact she'd snuck her favourite whisky from the pub.

Remy was the only person Emma knew who was choosing to stay behind. Everyone else had gathered by the troll under the bridge. Lennie was holding onto Cora's hand while Regina held Charlotte close.

Emma was holding the magic bean in her hand and shut her eyes as she concentrated.

_I wish to be taken to Storybrooke at the correct time period._

And with that, she threw the bean to the floor. The portal opened, but instead of the usual yellow flame, it was circled by all the colours of the rainbow.

"It's working!" Rumple called. "It's time!"

One by one, everyone stepped through the portal with Emma walking through last. The flame prickled her skin as she entered before she felt the whoosh of air as the portal closed behind her. Once through, she saw the familiar street surrounding her, but all was not as she left it. She looked up and down Maine Street with one question on her lips:

"What on earth has happened here?"


	51. Chapter 51

Emma's jaw dropped as she took in the town that she used to call her home. Half of the shops were boarded up, including Marco's, and the others seemed either empty or run down. Some were vandalised with either spray paint or smashed windows.

What surprised Emma was the most was the fact that there was no one on the street. There wasn't a whisper of a soul. Back in the day, whenever someone turned up, Grumpy would be the first to run down shouting and screaming about it and here, in the broad daylight was a large group of people, featuring complete strangers and the return of the saviour and Evil Queen and there was not a single person there to witness it. Not that Emma wanted a fanfare to greet her on her return, but she kind of had expected something at least.

Emma still wasn't sure what year they were in, it could have been any time, but the weather was the similar meaning that she had brought them back to the corresponding day that they had left, but the year was still completely known.

The shock of the town was clear on everyone's faces who came from Storybrooke, but when Emma glanced at Zelena, she saw that the witch didn't look surprised.

"I said that things weren't as they were," she commented.

"You're telling me," Emma muttered. "Anyway, I reckon we should settle in and then I'll go find my dad. Hopefully he can tell me what's going on."

Everyone agreed and started heading in different directions. Zelena and Robyn started walking in the direction of the Farmhouse, both dragging their partners with them to show them the way. Alice then grabbed onto her father as she had already cleared with Zelena that he could stay there until he found his feet in the new town.

Rumple and Cora started making their way towards Rumple's house, avoiding the shop for now. There were too many memories of Belle in there for Rumple to want to visit just yet. Everything would take a little bit of time adjusting for him.

Emma and Regina then turned to start walking towards the mansion. It had already been decided that Henry and Ivy would stay with Emma and Regina until they figured out what was going on. Emma wanted them to stay in her old house, she had purchased it after all, even if it had been when she was the Dark One, but it was still hers. She just feared that Hook would have claimed it in her absence.

"Ti, you can stay with us too," Regina called to Tiana when she hesitated in the street. "It's my turn to help you this time."

Tiana smiled before joining the group heading towards the mansion. As it loomed ahead, Regina passed Charlotte to Emma. "Everyone, wait here a second."

The group paused while Regina took a few more steps forwards. She reached up and pressed her palms against something invisible, before folding her fingers down, one by one. As that happened, a shimmer lit over the outskirts of the mansion before dimming down.

"I had to put some sort of protection spell over it," she mused when she saw Emma's reaction. "If your mother is now the mayor, she'll have wanted to move in," she smirked, "and I couldn't be having that."

Emma chuckled as she followed her wife up to the front door. With a flick of her wrist, Regina produced the key before slipping it into the door.

When the door opened, they were greeted with the familiar sight of the foyer. There wasn't a speck of dust from Regina's preservation spell.

"Henry, you and Ivy can take the second guest room and show Ti the third," Regina instructed. Henry nodded and motioned for Tiana to follow him upstairs. "We'll set up Charlotte in our room." She then turned to Lennie and Sophia. "Would you be okay sharing a room for now?"

Lennie grinned. "I'm fine with that. What about you, Soph?"

Sophia, who was currently hiding in her mother's hair, turned and slowly nodded.

"Great," Regina smiled. "I'll convert Henry's old room for now."

"You'll do no such thing," Emma interrupted. "You're not exhorting that much magic barely two weeks after giving birth. _I'll_ go convert Henry's room. You can look after the munchkin." She then handed Charlotte back to Regina after pressing a kiss to her head. "Come on, Len. you can help."

"Yay!" Lennie cheered as she always did when she was able to use her magic.

Ivy then gently placed Sophia on the floor as she made her way upstairs to join Henry and Tiana. Sophia walked over to Emma and motioned to be picked up. With a chuckle, Emma granted her granddaughter's wish and pulled Sophia onto her hip.

"We'll be down soon," Emma said to Regina before motioning to Lennie to the hallway and heading upstairs towards Henry's old room to see him standing outside the door looking in.

"Daddy?" Sophia called quietly.

Henry turned around and smiled at his daughter before taking her out of Emma's arms. "Hey there, munchkin. Are you moving in here?"

Sophia nodded and leant into her father.

"You alright, Kid?" Emma asked her son.

"It's just weird seeing my old room and remembering what happened while I stayed here," he replied. "So much has happened over the past few years."

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you wanted to be back?"

"Oh, I do, don't get me wrong," Henry said quickly. "It's just odd."

"I agree there," Emma murmured. "Is there anything you want from in here before we transform the room?"

Henry shook his head. "I have everything I need right here," he nodded towards Sophia and smiled at Ivy as she walked over. She had been restoring the items they had brought with them in their room.

"Okay dokay," Emma said before glancing to Lennie. "Are you ready to turn this into yours and Sophia's room?"

Lennie's eyes widened in excitement. "Yep!"

The two headed into the room and Emma whispered spells to for her daughter to use and within fifteen minutes, Henry's old room turned from blue to purple, one bed became two and the dark furniture was replaced with white. Above their set of draws, their names shone brightly indicating that Lennie had the side closest to the window and Sophia closest to the door.

Despite what Henry had said about not wanting to keep anything, Emma didn't believe him. She made sure to keep his collection of comics and trophies that he'd collected over the years. There were a few other items that she put together in a box and she would put in the attic later.

"Not bad!" Regina commented as she came to nosey once Emma had called to say they had finished. "Lunch is on the table."

Everyone headed back downstairs and dug into the sandwiches Regina had prepared. The conversation was easy as Regina started asking Henry and Ivy plans for their wedding now they were back.

Emma sat back after finishing her food. "I'd better go find my dad and find out what's going on."

"Want some company?" Henry offered. "It would be nice to see Grandpa too."

"Not just yet," Emma replied. "But thanks. I'll report back in a bit and let you know."

Henry looked confused but shrugged it off. "Soph, Lennie, want to learn how to play on the PlayStation?"

"What's that?" Lennie asked.

"Come with me," Henry replied as he picked up his daughter. "See you later, Ma."

Ivy and Tiana followed them out, arm in arm, talking quietly.

Once the others were out of the room, Regina turned to her wife. "Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"It's David, he's not going to hurt me," Emma assured her and pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead and then Charlotte's. "I'll start at the station and if he's there, I won't be long."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "And if he's not?"

"Then I'll be a little bit longer." She winked. "I'll be fine."

She then stood back from the table and flicked her wrist, disappearing in her cloud of white. When it cleared, she was standing beside the police station. It was one of the few places she'd seen so far that hadn't changed. That was a minor relief.

With a nervous breath, she walked towards the front door. However, when she entered the station, she saw three people in the main office. One she knew well, one acquaintance and someone she'd never seen before in her life.

Charming was sitting at his desk with Kathryn of all people perched beside him and a young blonde girl, who couldn't be much older than Sophia, sitting on his lap. As Emma looked at her, she saw a lot of herself. She was blonde, pale and slight. The only difference were the piercing blue eyes which matched Charming's perfectly.

"David?" Emma called out.

The man in question shot around in his chair. "Emma?" He gasped when he saw her. "Is that really you?"

He gently gestured for the girl to ease off his knee so that he could stand up. Slowly, Charming made his way up to Emma and Emma was relieved to see that he looked exactly the same as when she'd left albeit a few years older.

"Yeah, it's me," she confirmed and suddenly she was swept up in a tight hug.

"I have missed you so much!" Charming cried as he hugged his daughter tightly. Emma accepted the embrace and shut her eyes as she breathed in the familiar smell. "Where the hell have you been? Why did you go?"

"Daddy?" Whispered a quiet voice from behind them.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Charming murmured as he pulled back from his eldest. He walked back over to where Kathryn was standing and took hold of her hand. "Em, you remember Kathryn?" Emma nodded before Charming gestured the other blonde in the room. "Well, this is our daughter, Abby. Abby, this is your older sister, Emma."

Emma let out a low whistle. "Boy, have we missed a lot."

Charming nodded as he picked Abby up and rested her on his hip. "You've missed everything."

"Come to the mansion tonight," Emma decided after a minute of silence while she wrapped her head around the sight in front of her. "We can swap stories and fill each other in on what's happened."

"The mansion?" Charming repeated. "Why have you gone there?"

"I've missed a lot here, but a lot has happened elsewhere too," Emma said with a half-smile. "First and foremost," she lifted her left hand to show the rings on her finger, "Regina and I are married."

Charming's jaw dropped but Kathryn just chuckled.

"I knew it," she murmured. "There was no way the tension between the two of you wasn't sexual."

"Mama, what's secual?" Abby repeated as she looked at her mother.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Charming said hastily which made Emma chuckled.

"Six o'clock," Emma repeated. "And you can bring Abby. There are a couple of girls she'll need to meet."

And without any further explanation, Emma flicked her wrist and transported herself back to the mansion, directly into the kitchen. The room was now deserted so she followed the sound of laughter into the living room.

There she found Ivy and Tiana sitting on one sofa with Sophia sitting on her mother's knee. Regina was sitting on the back sofa, once more feeding Charlotte. Only two weeks old and she was already like her blonde mother, always hungry. Lennie and Henry were sitting on the beanbags in the middle of the room with the latter introducing his sister to Crash Bandicoot as it one of his tamer PlayStation games.

"Hey," Emma murmured softly as she perched on the sofa arm beside her wife. She kissed her softly and gently caressed Charlotte's hair.

"How did it go?" Regina asked.

Emma glanced at the two on the play station before nodding towards they foyer. Catching Emma's drift, Regina finished feeding Charlotte before gently lowering her into the baby box that they'd placed beside Regina's seat. She glanced up to Ivy so that she was aware that the baby was in there before she followed Emma's into the foyer.

"My parents aren't together anymore," Emma finally revealed. "I've no idea where Snow is or what she's doing, but my dad is now with Kathryn."

Regina's eyebrows shot up. "As in my friend Kathryn? The woman the curse put him with? That Kathryn?"

Emma nodded. "The very same and that's not all. They have a daughter, Ginny. She's not much older than Sophia. Almost five if she isn't already. I can't believe it."

"Wow," Regina muttered, not sure what else there was to say.

"I've invited them for dinner tonight so we can swap stories," Emma said. "I thought it was better to know sooner rather than later."

Regina nodded. "I just can't believe it. After all those stories of True Love being forever and they were meant to be the poster couple for that." She shook her head.

"Hey," Emma said softly as she pulled her wife close to her. "We're not them. We've seen each other at our best and worst and we're still here. _We_ are not them." To confirm her point, Emma pulled her wife in for a sweet kiss to calm her down. She pulled back and glanced towards the living room where Henry was still absorbed in his game. "Let's not tell Henry just yet."

Regina nodded and wrapped her arms tighter around Emma's neck and nestled in. Six o'clock couldn't come soon enough for answers.

oOoOo

At six o'clock on the dot, there was a knock on the door. Regina was impressed that Kathryn had made sure to drag Charming there on time. It was a feat that Snow had never succeeded with.

Emma had nipped out to the store, under a disguise, to get some food in. Fortunately, she didn't see either Snow or Hook, which she was grateful of.

Tiana had decided to go to Zelena's so that she wasn't interrupting the family reunion. Even when Emma had said she wouldn't be, she had insisted. Therefore, shortly before six, Emma had poofed her over to the farmhouse.

At the knock, Emma glanced over to Regina. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are," she said.

With a steady breath, Emma stood and made her way over to the door.

"Hey," she greeted after opening up.

Charming and Kathryn were standing behind the door with Abby standing in front of them. The adults looked a little apprehensive, but Abby was just grinning up at the blonde in front of her.

"Hi Emma!" She grinned.

"Hey sweetie," Emma replied with a smile. "Come on in, guys."

Abby's greeting seemed to clear some of the nerves and the three walked in just as Regina stepped into the hallway to greet her old friend. She had left Charlotte with Ivy as they wanted to wait a few minutes before introducing her.

"Gina!" Kathryn called when she saw the brunette.

"Hi Kat," Regina greeted as she walked over. The two embraced gently before pulling back.

Henry the made his way into the foyer with Sophia in his arms. "Hi Grandpa."

"Henry!" Charming gasped as he realised who was standing in front of him. "God, look at you! You're, what, twenty-six now?" Henry nodded with a chuckle. Charming turned to look at Sophia before glancing at Emma. "Is this your daughter?"

Emma shook her head. "No, this is Sophia. She's Henry's daughter."

At that, Charming paled a fraction. "I'm a great grandpa?"

Abby then started giggling. "Daddy, you old!"

"Old?" Charming repeated, mocking offence. "You cheeky thing!"

"She's just like her sister," Regina laughed before she crouched down in front of her. "Hi there. My name is Regina. What's your name?"

"Abigail," Abby replied quietly. "Abigail Ruth Nolan."

"That's a very pretty name," Regina replied before she stood up and took hold of Abby's hand. "Would you like to meet some special people?"

Abby looked at her father for permission which was quickly granted. The three took off their shoes and followed the Regina and Abby into the living room. Lennie walked over to them immediately.

"Hi, I'm Lennie!" She greeted with a smile before she turned to Charming. "My moms said that you're my other Grandpa."

When Emma had got back from the store, she filled Lennie in about the guests coming over that evening. She wanted to make sure that she was aware of what was going on and felt comfortable. So far, it seemed things were going well.

Charming knelt before the young blonde. "That's right. I'm David." He wasn't sure who Lennie was referring to as her other grandfather, but he knew he could ask about that later.

Lennie then turned to Kathryn and tilted her head. "Does that make you my grandma?" She looked at Emma. "Is this your mother?"

"No, monkey," Emma said softly. "This is grandpa's partner." She couldn't see a wedding ring on their finger so didn't want to assume anything.

Before anything else could be said, Charlotte started to tear up, so Ivy started making her way over. Regina turned and accepted the baby quickly.

"Sorry, she's hungry," she murmured. "I'll be right back."

Usually, Regina would just feed her with others there, but she didn't real very comfortable doing so in front of her new father in law.

Once she'd stepped out of the room, Charming turned to Emma. "Umm?"

Emma chuckled. "And that was Charlotte. She's two weeks old and yes, she's ours. Just like Lennie but this time, Regina carried her."

Charming's eyes widened before nodding. "You were right, a lot has happened."

Twenty minute later, the group settled around the dining room table. Regina was sitting at the head and had conjured up a crib to place Charlotte in while they ate. They chatted in small groups during dinner as they didn't want to share what was going on with the young girls around.

Emma had whipped up Cora's secret spaghetti bolognaise recipe that Emma had demanded to know. Cora hadn't been able to keep it secret from her for more than five minutes once she started batting her puppy dog eyes.

Once the meal was finished, Ivy suggested taking the girls into the den downstairs. It was essentially a room with a huge screen and sofas with many pillows. It had been tradition for Regina and Henry to spend every Saturday night in there watching at least two films back to back with bowls of popcorn. The only time there weren't there was when an enemy was in town.

"Do you want me to take Charlie too?" Ivy asked.

Regina glanced down at the sleeping baby who was now in her arms and shook her head. "No, she's fine here."

With a nod, Ivy called Sophia and Lennie to follow her.

"Go on, Abs," Charming encouraged his youngest.

It wasn't until Lennie walked over to her and held out her hand before Abby finally went with them.

"So, let's move this into the living room," Emma suggested.

The five of them moved their way from the dining room. Emma sat down on a sofa with her wife while Henry perched on the edge of the sofa with his mothers. Charming and Kathryn took the next sofa.

Silence settled over them as no one really knew how to start what they knew would be a difficult evening. Eventually it was Emma who broke it. She gestured to her father and Kathryn.

"So how did this happen?" She asked.

The two glanced at each other and smiled softly.

"Well after you left, things just went downhill," Charming began. "Zelena also left and Maleficent took off. Snow took it upon herself to take over as Mayor and as soon as she stepped back into the office, like I said, everything changed. She didn't seem to take in anyone's opinion. Even mine. She just spent all of her time with _Hook _of all people!"

Emma grimaced. "Zelena told me. How did that happen?"

Charming's eyes narrowed. "They bonded by your disappearance apparently, but I didn't buy it in the slightest. They now live in your old house with Neal who has become very taken with the pirate and I live in our home with Kathryn and Abby. She tried to sack me from being Sheriff and put _him_ in charge, but fortunately the town rallied behind me. As we know, the Mayor can't choose who is Sheriff."

He then winked at Regina, reminding her of when Emma first came to town and tried to stop her from becoming Sheriff after Graham had 'passed away'. Regina simply rolled her eyes and Emma squeezed her.

"Those were the days," she joked.

"But as for how we got together," Kathryn said, taking over the story and getting back to the point, "it just sort of happened. Freddie and I just grew apart and David and I bumped into each other at Granny's after he and Snow separated. He asked if he could join me and we started joking about the mess of the first curse and the past. Without all the pressure on our shoulders, we realised we got on really well and the rest is history. That was almost six years ago. I fell pregnant pretty soon which sent Snow over the edge too. She cut the funding for all my projects as I was gathering a group together to refurbish the town and make it look nice. She scrapped all of my ideas and pretty much sacked me on the spot."

"What?" Henry gasped. "I don't understand where all this has coming from. Grandma is with Hook? That's just disturbing. He was your husband!" He turned to Emma. "How are you okay with this?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at her son. "I'm not okay with this, Kid," she said with a small disbelieving laugh. "But as far as I'm concerned, Cora is my mother, not Snow."

"Then that leads me onto my questions," Charming said. "What have we missed?"

Regina glanced at her wife and son. "Who should go first?"

"I'll go," Emma said.

Between her, Regina and Henry, they filled Charming and Kathryn in on what had happened over the last few years from Emma going to Wonderland to ending up in Hyperion Heights. When they told them what happened with the curse, Charming's eyes shot open.

"It's not been great here but at least we weren't cursed!"

"Yes, well Gothel is now the mysterious tree that appeared overnight on the hospital roof," Emma chuckled. She had seen the headline in the paper the next day which ended with asking for anyone to come forward with information.

"Do you see Neal often?" Henry asked. It still baffled him that Snow had wanted to name his uncle after his late father. It kind of stole the thunder from him as he wanted to honour his father somehow but the obvious way had now been taken. He was pretty sure Ivy wouldn't be game for naming any son they had Baelfire.

Charming and Kathryn exchanged a look which showed that something negative had happened. Emma knew something had happened between Neal and Robyn when Zelena had briefly returned, but she didn't know what.

"He's not okay that his mother and I got divorced and I'm now with Kathryn," Charming replied. "He was very jealous of Abby and made it clear." He took a deep breath and squeezed Kathryn's hand when she offered it to him. "It was our night with him, and I left the room for five minutes to check on dinner while Kat was still at work and I heard Abby scream." His eyes flashed as he relived whatever happened. "I ran in and Neal was standing over her, his hands around her throat. She was barely two and he was five and already I could see how evil he was. I ripped him off her and rushed to the hospital. She was in for two weeks as he damaged her throat that badly. Blue didn't want to try to magic it better in case she caused more damage. I told Snow that I was done with him until he learns respect. Well, he's not learnt it yet."

"Jesus," Emma breathed. "And Snow just allowed it?"

"She's not the same woman you knew," Kathryn muttered darkly.

"And even then, she was a bitch," Emma added.

The room was silent for a moment before Charming spoke again. "So, Rumple is actually your father, Regina?"

She chuckled quietly at the conversation change but allowed it so that Charming and Kathryn didn't have to be reminded of their daughter's trauma any longer. "Apparently so. Explains a lot, doesn't it?"

Charming nodded. "Yep."

Henry then turned to his adoptive mother. "Wait a second. That means you're actually my biological auntie, doesn't it?"

Regina looked at her son at a loss as to what to say.

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that," Emma muttered. "You really are related to every character, Kid."

"You're still my mom," Henry said when he realised that Regina was having a moment. He could literally see the cogs turning in her head as she started to panic. He reached out and squeezed her hand gently before taking Emma's too. "You both are and I'm so glad to have you back."

Charming then reached out to take Emma's free hand. "I'm so glad to have you back too, Em. Storybrooke hasn't been the same without you. Any of you."

Regina sighed. "We've just got a lot to do to make it the place it was."


	52. Chapter 52

It was getting on for ten o'clock by the time Charming and his new family left. Ivy had joined the group in the living room around eight o'clock after taking the girls up to bed. She had conjured up a small camp bed for Abby until it was time to leave. Tiana had returned at half past eight and was introduced to Charming before making her way upstairs.

When they were leaving, Kathryn carried the still sleeping Abby to their car, which Emma had seen was an upgrade from Charming's old truck, while he hovered on the doorstep next to Emma. Regina was already upstairs sorting the baby out, but Emma knew that she was giving her a moment alone with her father after all the revelations had been shared.

"You know, out of everything that you've said has happened, you and Regina being married isn't the strangest," Charming murmured.

Emma chuckled as she leant against the door frame. "Yeah, it makes an odd amount of sense."

"I mean, you're pretty perfect for each other," he continued. "You're both Henry's mothers, you defended each other, and you always had each other's backs. You're a force to be reckoned with."

The blonde tilted her head to the side. "So, what is the weirdest part of it all?"

Charming hesitated before speaking. "I guess it's the fact that you've found a family that I'm not a part of. Not really. That was part of the reason Snow and I aren't together anymore. I couldn't believe she would make you chose. I want you in my life however you see fit. Yes, you're my daughter, but you grew up without me and see me more as your friend. I'm very much okay with that. I will always go at your speed. I'd never make you choose between myself and Gold."

"I don't see Gold as my father," Emma said hastily. "He's the kids' grandfather, yes, and he's dating the woman I see as my mother, but that doesn't make him a father figure." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "As far as I see it, I don't have a dad." Charming's breath hitched before he swallowed, allowing the words to sink in. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "But I do have a dear friend and a brother figure in you, David. I want to get to know Kathryn and Abby. They're part of my family now, but I still need things to go at my pace. Especially with everything going on with Snow."

"I get that," Charming replied. "Just remember, whatever you need, I'm here for you." He pulled her in for an embrace. It was short but she didn't feel uncomfortable like she had done with Snow in the past, but it was nowhere near how she felt whenever Cora hugged her. Still, it was nice.

"Please don't tell Snow that I'm back yet," Emma muttered as she pulled back.

Charming chuckled. "Trust me, I don't talk to her if I can help it. Only ever on town business and the station. But even then, it only last for five minutes."

"Thanks."

With a smile, Charming finally started to make his way towards the car. Emma had to give it to Kathryn, she was much more patient than Snow. She would have been honking the horn to get him to speed up but Kathryn was fine scrolling through her phone and keeping quiet so Abby could stay asleep.

As he got to the gate, he glanced back at Emma who was yet to enter the house. "Talking about the police station, you will be coming back to work and take over being Sheriff again, right?" He asked.

"At some point hopefully," she replied with a smile. "I just need to sort some things out and settle back in to Storybrooke life again. I'm very out of the swing with it all."

Charming nodded. "Then tell Rumple that while I'm still Sheriff, I'm happy to turn a blind eye if a one-handed pirate ends up dead in a ditch somewhere."

Emma raised her eyebrow but didn't comment on it. "Goodnight, David."

"Bye, Em."

Chuckling to herself, Emma watched Charming head to the car and slip into the front seat. He kissed Kathryn softly on the forehead before putting the car into drive and pulling away.

Once they were gone, Emma finally entered the house and went upstairs. Regina was just placing Charlotte into her crib beside the bed.

"Hey," Emma whispered.

Regina turned around and smiled like she always did when she saw the blonde. "Hey yourself. Everything okay?"

Emma smiled as she pulled Regina close to her, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist. Regina's automatically slipped around Emma's neck, playing with the hairs at the nape of her neck.

"Never better," Emma murmured before sealing their lips together. "I love you, Mrs Swan-Mills."

"I love you, too," Regina whispered. "Now, let's get into bed and you can experience the beauty of my mattress."

The two quickly undressed and slipped into bed. Emma opened her arm and Regina snuggled in.

"Storybrooke isn't how it used to be," Regina murmured.

"I never expected it would be," Emma replied as she brought her arm up, gently tracing patterns on Regina's almost flat tummy.

As much as Regina loved her pregnancy, she may or may not have charmed her belly to her pre-pregnancy form. Emma hadn't minded either way.

"However, what is still the same is the way I feel about you," Emma continued. "I adore you."

She pulled Regina closer to her and sealed their lips together once more. Emma lost herself in the kiss. Pulling back, Regina snuggled into Emma's shoulder.

"I adore you more," she muttered sleepily as her eye fluttered shut.

oOoOo

The next morning was spent with Emma, Regina and Henry filling in the Cora, Rumple, Zelena and Nook about what had happened in Storybrooke and the update with Charming and Snow over breakfast. Tiana had decided to go with Robyn and Alice for a walk around town. While Cora and Rumple looked more annoyed at what the heard and Ivy was shocked as she heard a new version of the couple her fiancé idolised.

However, Zelena didn't look surprised in the slightest. "I did say she was spending more time with Hook."

"Yeah, but you never said they were together." Emma said, her brow furrowing in confusion before everything dawned on her. "You knew about my parents. You knew they weren't together anymore and that David had moved on."

The witch sighed before nodding. "Yes, I did. I saw them when I was last here, but it wasn't my place to tell you what was going on. Kat asked me not to say anything."

"And you put your friendship with her above mine?" Emma asked, getting a little bit annoyed. "This is information I had a right to know. They are my parents."

"Em," Regina muttered quietly in an attempt to calm the blonde down. She nodded towards the baby who was still fast asleep in her baby box. Charlotte was still rather fussy when she was awake, but she could still sleep though most loud noises. Which, in this case, was rather a blessing.

Realising her wife was right, Emma slumped back in her seat. "Sorry." She sighed.

"Is Charming going to tell Snow that you're here?" Ivy asked, deciding to change the subject slightly to interrupt any argument that could brew.

Emma shook her head. "No. I asked him not to, plus from what he said, the two don't speak to each other unless they have to. Even then, it isn't pleasant." She paused as she sat forward once more. "The person to tell Snow that I'm back will be me. In fact," she took deep breath, "I'm going to go today."

Regina reached out and rested her hand on Emma's knee. "Are you sure?"

The blonde nodded as she placed her hand on her wife's before taking hold of her hand. "There's no time like the present. You know how quickly news spreads in this town. Someone could have seen me by the station yesterday and told her. Besides, it's better it comes from me."

"I'll come with you," Henry said. "No buts, Ma," he added when Emma started to decline. "I want to see my grandmother to ask what the hell is going on here."

It was times like that when Emma truly saw herself in her son. His stubbornness was something to be reckoned with which was the exact same as his blonde mother. Even Regina glanced between her wife and her son with a raised eyebrow and smirk.

"I'll stay here with the kids then," she surmised.

"Well, I'm here too," Ivy said with a small chuckle.

Regina flashed her a smile. "Even better. We can start wedding planning."

Despite the excitement she should feel at the idea of planning her wedding, Emma realised Ivy's smile still didn't reach her eyes. However, before she could speak to Ivy quietly about it, as she still hadn't been able to find a quiet moment for the two to talk with everything that had been going on, Cora called everyone to lunch.

Therefore, after a quick light lunch of sandwiches that Cora had thrown together, Emma and Henry started walking towards the townhall where they presumed Snow would be.

"I wonder where my car is," Emma murmured as she looked around. The last time she saw it, it was outside her house. However, Charming had revealed that that wasn't her house anymore, so goodness knows where it had been place. Or if it was even still there.

Henry chuckled. "We'll find it eventually. I could even drive it now."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Get your mitts away from my baby."

"Hey, I'm your baby! Well, one off them" he added.

Now it was Emma's turn to laugh. "Very true." She nudged him softly as they walked. "How do you feel about that?" She looked up him, something she was still getting used to. He'd had another growth spirt after he'd left Storybrooke. "You went from being an only child to having two sisters."

Henry was quiet for a few moments as he thought about it. "I always knew it was a possibility," he said finally. "I mean, you were young when you had me. There was every chance that you would have more. I did think it would be with Hook."

At the idea, Emma shivered. "Let's not go there."

At the tone, Henry knew not to push his mother. He wasn't stupid. It was obvious that something had happened between his mother and her ex-husband for her to leave Storybrooke and for Lennie to have even been born. Emma had skimmed over it the night before to Charming. However, with the curse, he hadn't been able to talk to her about it all. As he thought about it, he knew it would be best not to question her before seeing Snow. There were enough negative feelings there that he knew she needed to get through first.

"But in all seriousness, I'm totally okay with," he said. "Lennie is a firecracker. She's the perfect combination of you and Mom with the fact that she looks like you and acts like Mom. Charlie is likely to be the opposite."

Emma raised her eyebrow at her son. "She's two weeks old. Let her personality develop."

Henry chuckled. "I just mean with the fact she has green eyes like us but everything else is already so Mom. She's going to be great. You know, I'm kinda jealous. I miss having a baby around, plus Ivy and I have been talking about it. Once we're married and all that."

"You're thinking of having another baby?" Emma squealed. "I'm so excited already."

"Calm down," Henry laughed. "We're _talking_ about it."

Emma smiled but it faltered when she realised where they were. With their easy conversation, she had relaxed immensely, but now as the townhall loomed ahead. It was time to speak to Snow.

"Let's get this over and done with," Emma murmured. She swallowed before she walked through the door and headed towards the mayor's office.

She had walked this path many a times but the person behind the desk had been very different. In the past, she had been rather reluctant to see Regina but now, she would give anything to be meeting her wife there instead of Snow.

"I'm right behind you," Henry reassured her.

She smiled softly as they turned the final corner towards the mayor's receptionist's desk. However, she stopped short when she saw who was sitting there. Where a young woman used to sit was now a very familiar, rather short, bald man.

"Jesus," Emma muttered under her breath. "Things really have changed."

Grumpy looked up from the computer. "Saviour?"

"Don't make a big deal out of this. Is Snow in?" She asked, ignoring his look of surprise. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the most irritating dwarf.

"You don't have an appointment with the mayor," Grumpy sassed.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't need one."

And with that, she turned away from the desk, her hair tossed over her shoulder as she channelled her inner Regina. Henry followed, trying to hide his laughter.

Emma strode over to the door and opened it without any hesitation. There, sitting behind her wife's desk, was the once pure Snow White. However, she looked completely different.

Gone was the pixie cut. Her hair now flowed in soft curls to her shoulders, but it was still the severe deep brown that contrasted with her pale skin but made her green eyes, the ones that matched Emma's perfectly, pop. She was no longer slightly dumpy looking, but back to her pre-pregnancy weight. If anything, she looked even slimmer than Emma had ever seen her.

Her fashion sense had also completely changed. She was wearing a deep green dress that not only complimented her nicely, but actually made her look well suited for the role she didn't belong in.

At their entrance, she kept looking at whatever work she was completing, not giving them her full attention at all.

"Unless you have a meeting, I don't have time," she said.

"I think you'll find time for me," Emma murmured.

At the sound of her daughter's voice, Snow's head snapped up. Her eyes flew open in shock and the pen dropped out of her hand, falling to the floor.

"Emma!"

"Snow," she greeted, her voice even as to not give anything away for now.

Snow stood up out of her chair and rushed over the blonde, pulling her into her arms. At the touch, Emma froze but as usual, Snow didn't seem to notice.

"I've missed you!" Snow gasped before pulling back. She glanced to the side and realised that Emma hadn't come alone. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you Emma's partner?"

"Jesus, Snow!" Emma snapped. "I don't know which is worse. The idea that you even think I would go for someone so much younger than me or the fact you don't recognise your own grandson!"

Unsurprisingly, Snow didn't even seem embarrassed. "Henry? Wow, you've grown up!"

"And you're dating Hook," Henry commented.

Emma had to swallow her laughter at her son not beating around the bush. He really did take after Regina sometimes.

Finally, Snow stumbled. Her arms had been raised to hug stuttered and fell to her side. "I uh- what? No, I'm not, don't be absurd. Who would say a thing like that?

Henry crossed his arms. "Don't lie to us, Grandma. Grandpa told us."

Snow glowered. "_Him_."

Emma and Henry glanced at each other before looking back at the new Mayor.

"Snow, what happened?" Emma asked. She moved to perch on the side of the desk, still keeping her distance from her.

"We fell out of love," Snow replied.

"And then you fell in love with my ex-husband?" Emma said in disbelief. "I knew you could be shady, Mother, but this is ridiculous."

"You left!" Snow spluttered. "You completely disappeared with _her_. We had no idea where you were with the baby. We missed you so much and grew close with our loss."

Emma scoffed before her eyes narrowed. She pushed herself off the desk and took to steps towards her mother. The air shifted around them and the tension built so quickly that even a knife wouldn't cut through it, they would have needed a chain saw.

"I didn't leave," she murmured, her voice low. Snow went to dispute her claim but when she saw the look in Emma's eye, she shut back. "I escaped."

She took in a deep breath and tried to keep her voice even. She knew what she was about to say would change Henry's interpretation of her. She just hoped he wouldn't look at her like she was weak. However, she felt her son slip his hand in to hers and squeeze it. She felt his strength flow through to her.

"Do you know happened the night Lennie was born?" She asked. "Elena, your granddaughter," she added when Snow didn't look familiar with the name. Emma realised that the woman wouldn't know her nickname which was established after they'd left. "Hook realised that she wasn't his. She's Regina's."

"She's what!?"

Despite Snow's interjection, Emma didn't accept it. She inhaled slowly and continued what she needed to say.

"When we got home, he went for her, a _baby_," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I saw him standing over the crib, his hook a mere centimetre from her face so I intercepted. Then he hit me. Again. My lip bust open."

The look of pure evil in his eye flashed before her eyes and she faltered. She shivered but pushed through. As much as she heavily disliked Snow, she needed to know the monster she was with.

"He WHAT?" Henry screamed as he turned to his mother. "He hurt you?" His eyes clouded over with fury. "I'm gonna fucking kill him!"

He turned and headed towards the door, storming towards the door.

With a flick of her wrist, Emma slammed the door shut and paused Henry where he stood.

"Don't, Hen," she murmured softly. She hesitated for a few seconds before she unfroze him. Once the time passed, she flicked her wrist one more and Henry took a step. "You won't do anything of the sort. You have a daughter to think about."

"A daughter?" Snow repeated. "I'm a great grandmother?"

Emma shut her eyes as she inhaled slowly. "Yes, Henry has a daughter and I have two. Regina and I are married, and we just broke another curse." She tried to continue quickly before Snow could interrupt…again but it was to no avail.

"YOU'RE MARRIED TO HER!?"

Emma shut her eyes and started to count from ten to stop her from producing a fireball and launching it at the woman's head. However, she took as if it meant that she could continue.

"After everything she's done in the past!" Snow ranted, now more to herself than to Emma. "She's the reason we didn't get to raise you. She took Henry from you! She's a mon–"

At that, Emma finally lost it and her palms lit up with multiple fireballs. "If you finish that word, I will launch these at you!"

It was only when Henry quietly muttered, "Ma," she calmed down a fraction. She couldn't lose control in front of her son.

"Look, Snow, I came to tell you I was back and to warn you against Hook," Emma said once she put out the flames. "You clearly don't care about that. I'm not back to play happy families because I told you last time when I chose Cora. Regina and I _are_ married _and_ we have three kids together. Nothing you do or say is ever going to change that." She turned to Henry. "I'm done here if you are."

Henry nodded before turning to Snow. "Look, Grandma, I want a relationship with you. I want Sophia to meet you but there is no way I'm letting her near Hook or Neal after what Grandpa said."

"Henry–"

"That's all I have to say," Henry said, cutting off his grandmother and walking towards his mother. "Ma, let's go."

Before anyone else could say anything, Henry pulled Emma from the room and out of the building. He then led her towards Granny's.

Ten minutes later, the two were sitting at table, sipping on a hot cocoa with cinnamon. Granny had greeted the two warmly and offered them the drinks free of charge. Other patrons greeted Emma warmly and were all surprised to see that Henry had grown up. When they realised who he was, he received the same greeting.

Once everyone left them alone, Henry smiled sadly at his mother. "Why didn't you tell me about what happened with Hook?"

"There hasn't really been time," Emma said softly. "Besides, I didn't really want to relive it all."

Henry half smiled at her and pulled out his phone. "Look, I'm going to text Ivy and Mom and let them know that we're completely fine and then we're going to talk."

With a roll of her eyes, Emma accepted what her son had decided. There was nothing she could do to change his mind.

Messages sent, Henry slipped his phone away and looked at his mother expectantly. With a sigh, Emma flicked her wrist and cast a silencing charm around them so that no one could overhear. Snow could have spies all around the town and half of them could be the birds in the tree outside the window.

As Emma went to speak, she felt herself closing up. She knew her son had a right to know about everything that had happened while he was away and while he was cursed, but at the same time, he was still her son. He was her first born and it was her job to protect him, even if he was now in his mid-twenties.

"I'm an adult now, Ma," he said softly reading his mother's mind. "Please tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath and started telling her son what had happened from Hook's disappearance all those years ago when the Evil Queen was still terrorising the town, to the reason she left Storybrooke after Lennie was born. Whenever she stuttered over her words, Henry was patient and offered her an encouraging smile or squeezed her hand and waited for her to continue.

When she mentioned that Hook hit her while pregnant, Henry's hands balled into fists, but he didn't move or speak. He didn't trust his voice. Emma quickly continued before Henry could speak.

By the time she reached Wonderland, her throat was sore from speaking and her cocoa was cold. She waved her hand to reheat it and didn't miss Granny's raised eyebrow. Emma simply winked at her before turning back to Henry.

"So that's how you and Cora got close?" He murmured.

Emma nodded and smiled softly. "She's the mother I never had. I adore that woman more than I can stand Snow. The fact that she's now dating my ex-husband make my stomach turn. The fact that she's allowing him to influence my brother makes things even worse, but it's not my job to tell her what to do. If she wants to fuck everything up, so be it."

She slumped back in the chair and sipped on her cocoa until it was empty. Barely a second after she placed it down on the table, Granny was over and swapped it with a new one. She murmured her thanks as she took a sip.

"I still want to kill him," Henry muttered darkly.

Emma laughed quietly. "I think your grandfather might get there first."

"I still can't believe Rumple is actually Mom's dad." He shook his head in disbelief. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder."

"Don't say that, Kid," Emma said softly. "You know things get undoubtably get weirder whenever people say things like that."

Henry laughed. "Very true. I don't want to jinx anything."

"So, you and Ivy are having another baby?" Emma said, taking the conversation back to what they'd been discussing before they entered the townhall.

He rolled his eyes. "Like I said, we're thinking about it, but you know Ivy. What she wants, she gets."

Emma smiled. "She's great. I never thought anyone would be good enough for my son. That purple girl wasn't."

"Violet," Henry corrected but Emma ignored him.

"But Ivy is perfect for you," she said as she continued. "Plus, she's like a sister and a daughter to me. She's the perfect parcel."

Before Henry could comment on what was said, the bell above the diner door chimed, indicating a new customer had arrived. Emma looked up absentmindedly and her jaw dropped. She glanced down at their hands and saw one missing, so she knew it wasn't the wish version.

No, as her hands started to sweat and her blood pumped louder in her ears, she realised just who had walked through the door and she let out a shaky breath.

"Killian."


	53. Chapter 53

_A/N: a small trigger warning for domestic abuse is in place for this chapter!_

At the sound of his name, the one-handed pirate turned, almost in slow motion. He was back to wearing his long black leather trench coat, his hook glinting in contrast, his hair was long and shaggy and his eyes were thick once more with eyeliner. All in all, he looked more the pirate now than he ever had. All he needed was an eye patch. On his belt, there was a faint glimmer of a sword handle and the imprint of a gun in his pocket.

His searching eyes narrowed as he recognised the voice. He took a few slow, careful steps forward until he was standing beside their table. Appearing to have ignored Henry, he turned to Emma.

"I knew you'd come home to me, Swan," he said, his voice slick with oil and his lips curled into a smirk. "Forget the new bloke and come with me."

He reached out for her hand which made Emma further recoil in her seat.

Henry slammed his fists on the table and slowly rose to meet the man. Still a foot away, he could smell the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. It made him shiver to know that he was drinking around a child.

"Get away from my mother," Henry snarled, his voice low and full of venom.

Again, Hook's eyes widened, this time it was almost comical as he took in the man beside him. Recognition replaced the confusion.

"Well, I never!" He laughed, drunkenly stumbling back a step and opening his arms wide. "My stepson, home at last!"

"Stepson?" Henry repeated with a humourless laugh in his voice. "More like grandson with what I hear."

Hook smirked once again and flexed his eyebrows. "What can I say? I have a way with the Blanchard ladies. Snow called me and said I might find you here." He shot Emma a suggestive glance. "And my love was not incorrect. She didn't tell me about Henry being all grown up though."

"You're disgusting!" Henry spat. "If my grandmother is stupid enough to want this then more fool her. You're never getting close to my mother again. Either of them."

"Ah the noble Evil Queen has returned," Hook almost sang and it seemed that was the phrase that shot Emma into action.

She sprang out of her seat, her right hand already illuminated with flames hovering in front of her.

"If you dare call my _wife_ evil again, I will kill you," she all but screamed.

By now, the entire diner was staring at them. Emma's silencing spell had been shattered the moment Hook had walked through the door so they could hear every word. The room gasped as one as they heard the revelation. The only one to not make a sound was Hook.

Despite the flame in her hand, he took a step closer to her. His eyes narrowed and the flame was extinguished as the fear took over her.

"Don't be ridiculous, Emma," he murmured lowly, leaning over the blonde, making her bend backwards over the table to avoid his leer. Emma swallowed in fear as flashbacks to the past flickered behind her eyelids. "You cannot be married to that _bitch_." There was so much venom in his voice as he uttered the word. "You belong to _me_."

She fell back down on the seat behind her at his words, unable to form a word, let alone a sentence. Her sudden courage had diminished at his derogatory words and she couldn't shake herself out of it. Hook smirked once more, realising that he was once again in control of her.

"You should remember your place!" His right hand raised, ready to strike the blonde. "This should remind you–"

Before Hook could finish his threat, Henry launched himself at the pirate, punching him straight in the jaw, knocking him off balance. Henry shook the pain out in his hand before balling his fist once more, ready to go again.

"How dare you!" Henry screamed. "Try to touch her again and you'll get worse than that."

Hook let out a low growl and turned on Henry, his eyes aflame with fury that Emma was very familiar with. To Emma's horror, he raised his hook, ready to aim at her son. However, she couldn't find the strength to move in her fear of the man.

Luckily, Henry was faster than the drunken pirate. He slowly circled him before lunging forward, pulling the sword from its halter. With a swift move, Henry had it raised above his head, ready to strike.

The pirate scoffed. "You think you're so clever," he sneered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun.

Henry took a step back in shock, clearly not having seen the outline of it before. With a deep breath, he centred himself and stood his ground.

"I'm brave," he retorted with a hiss, "not stupid."

"They're the same thing," Hook said as he raised his gun, finger to the trigger.

Then, the bell above the door chimed once more and the atmosphere in the diner froze which could only mean the arrival of one man.

"Get the hell away from my family!"

Rumple flicked his wrist and dragged the pirate away from Henry and pinned him to the wall. The gun fell from his hand, but Rumple managed to magically catch it before it could hit the ground and accidentally go off. Hook's face was already turning purple from the lack of oxygen that Rumple had stolen.

"If you so much as touch a hair on their heads, I will kill you, scum!"

He released his grip and Hook fell to the floor, gasping for breath. To add to his threat, Rumple pulled back his leg and kicked the pirate in the gut, hard.

"Get out!"

Hook scrambled off the floor and hurried to the door without looking back.

Henry and Rumple rushed over to Emma who by now had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them, rocking back and forth. She was muttering to herself, but it was too muffled to comprehend.

Henry turned to his grandfather who was looking at Henry's already bruising hand. Gently, he bushed his fingertips over the bruise, which immediately started to fade and Henry flexed his hand.

"Thanks," he muttered to his grandfather before turning back to his mother.

"Em, are you alright?" Rumple asked before Henry could speak.

The tenderness in his voice and the nickname surprised the patrons in the diner. Despite their curiosity, they turned away to give them a moment. Even Henry was surprised at the gentle tone.

"Ma?" Henry whispered when Emma didn't move. Slowly, he sat beside her and rested his hand on her knee. He quickly removed it when Emma pranged, her arms flew open and her legs dropped, her eyes wide with fear. "It's just me, Ma. Henry. It's okay, Hook's gone."

Emma swallowed. "I thought I was okay with him," she breathed quietly. "I've seen Nook every day for the past couple of weeks and never felt like this."

Rumple smiled sadly. "Because he's not the same person as him. He isn't the same monster–"

Suddenly, Emma shot out of her chair. "You don't understand! I was should have been able to stand up to him to help my son, but I couldn't."

Henry went to reach out for his mother's hand. "Ma–"

Emma shook her head and leant back out of her son's reach. Her eyes wide with fear once more. "I need to go home."

With a flick of her wrist, she left Henry and Rumple behind and poofed herself home straight into the foyer.

She tried to shout for her wife but instead, she just collapsed on the floor and burst into tears.

At the sound, Regina rushed from the living room, looking worried.

"Emma!"

The blonde looked up at the sound of her wife's voice and she shot off the floor and rushed forward, throwing her arms around her wife, sobbing into her neck. She clung to her in a way that she had never done before.

"Em, my darling, what happened?" Regina asked, her voice shrill with confusion.

Regina wrapped her arms around her, gently resting one hand on the back of her head and the other stroking her back in an attempt to calm her down. She pressed kisses to Emma's crown as she waited for her to calm down. There was no point repeating her question while Emma was so upset. She would answer eventually.

After a few more minutes, Emma started to calm down and her tears started to slow. She released her vice grip and allowed Regina to guide her towards the study as Ivy was with the girls in the living room.

Regina sat her wife on the sofa and flicked her wrist, producing a mug of tea and Emma's favourite cookies. When Emma didn't smile at the baked goods, Regina started to worry even more.

"Where's Henry?" Regina asked instead of repeating herself with her earlier question.

"With Rumple," Emma whispered. Her voice was hoarse from the tears. She picked up the tea and took a sip. "Snow is crazy which is to be expected but then we went to Granny's for a drink afterwards and _he_ arrived."

Regina's brow furrowed in confusion. "Rumple?"

Emma swallowed and shook her head.

"Oh," Regina murmured as she realised exactly who she meant. "Hook."

The blonde's eyes flashed with fear at the name. "I don't know what came over me," she muttered quietly before revealing what had happened. She swallowed as she came to the end of her story. "I feel awful. I couldn't find my magic to save my son. I'm a terrible mother."

"No, you're not," Regina said quickly.

"He went to _shoot_ him!" Emma's voice split on the word. "And I did absolutely nothing!" She shot out of her seat and started pacing, her voice getting louder every sentence she spoke. "I did nothing to stop Gothel going after Lennie and then they almost did the same with Charlotte if you hadn't have planned ahead. Now I can't even save Henry against _him_ because he made me feel worthless all over again. I'm the worse mother in the world. They'd be better off without me!"

She crumpled to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself. She shook with renewed sobs.

"Mom?"

Regina looked up to see Lennie standing by the door. She was staring at her blonde mother in confusion and worry. She had heard her mother's raised voice but couldn't make out what she had been saying.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly.

Emma glanced up at the sound of her voice. She took a deep breath and opened her arms.

Lennie automatically understood and rushed over before allowing the blonde to pull her into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Len," Emma whispered.

Despite how confused she was, Lennie accepted her mother's embrace without any further questions. Regina went to take a step forward when Charlotte's high-pitched cry pulled her away. She was reluctant to leave but the baby was more dependent on her than Emma was.

"I'll be right back," she murmured before rushing out of the room.

The two blondes were silent as they sat together on the floor. Emma was wiping away her tears as Lennie leant into her mother.

However, Lennie's curiosity got the better of her. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Am I a bad mother?" Emma asked quietly.

Lennie pulled back in shock. "What? No!" She said, aghast. "You and Mom are the best moms ever!" She pulled herself up onto her knees so she could look at her mother's face. "What makes you think that?"

Emma swallowed. "I just keep failing you and your siblings. I let that monster get you and almost let someone attack your brother. You guys and your mother are my life, but I can't seem to control myself when you're in danger."

"Mommy, you can't control everything," Lennie murmured, speaking well above her age as usual. "I'm safe now and so is Charlie. Henry is an adult and he can look after himself. We know you love us."

"But–"

"No buts!" Lennie said cheekily. She smiled when she saw Emma's lips quiver as she fought a smile. "That's that the adults say when I say but, right?"

Emma nodded slowly.

"Then that's the case here," Lennie continued with a nod of her head. "I love you, Mom and you're a great mom. I couldn't imagine my life without you, never ever. Whatever happened today is okay, things happen."

"When did you get so smart?" Emma asked as she finally smiled.

Lennie giggled. "After I met my other mom."

Emma's jaw dropped. "You cheeky monkey! You're gonna get it now!"

With that, Emma reached forward and started tickling her daughter. Her high-pitched giggles rang out around the room, tears forming as she laughed so hard.

"Stooooop!" Lennie gasped.

Hearing her daughter's laughter made Emma start to feel better. She kept wriggling her fingers against her sides to keep the laughter coming. It had always been a beautiful sound and going three weeks without it had driven her almost insane. As slightly cruel as it was, she wanted to keep tickling her daughter just to hear the sound.

"What on earth have I missed?" Regina asked as she walked back in, holding baby Charlotte in her arms. The baby's green eyes were dazzling in contract underneath Regina's dark hair.

At the sound of her wife's voice, Emma looked up and finally stopped tickling their eldest daughter. "Lennie was giving me some prime advice because she's brilliant."

She bopped Lennie on her nose to make her giggle once again before standing up.

"Someone wants to say hi," Regina murmured as she motioned towards Charlotte.

"Hi honey," Emma cooed as Regina placed her in Emma's arms. Lennie stood too and took a step forward so that she was standing beside her blonde mother, looking down at the baby.

When Charlotte started to fuss, Emma quickly shushed her and automatically started swaying her to calm her down. Within seconds, Charlotte's eyes were fluttering and she fell back asleep, content in Emma's arms.

"And would you look at that," Regina said with a smile. "You're a great mother, Emma. Never forget it."

The front door opened and then banged shut. Footsteps rushed towards the living room before turning towards the study.

"Ma!" Henry whispered, knowing shouting was no longer allowed in the house in case Charlotte was asleep. Clearly, he hadn't thought that a slamming door would also have the same affect. Fortunately, Charlotte remained asleep. "Are you alright?"

Emma glanced up to her eldest and smiled softly. "All the better with you here, Kid," she said honestly. "Now, let's have some family time."

oOoOo

A couple of days passed after Emma's slight melt down and she had finally filled Regina in what had happened with Snow. All Regina could do was roll her eyes.

"Always the spoilt, self-absorbed princess," she had murmured.

"But a spoilt princess we're going to have to sort out at some point," Emma had replied.

They didn't go into any further detail about what would need to happen. They knew it would be drastic to get Snow off her high horse, but they could worry about that later. There were more pressing things at hand.

Lennie and Sophia were still waking up in the night due to bad dreams to the point that they had to be separated as they kept waking each other up in the night. Both were upset but knew it was for the better.

Sophia stayed in her father's old room and Lennie moved into the room Tiana had been in. Tiana had decided to rent a suite at Granny's in trade for working at the diner. She did some cooking and waitressing.

Emma had said she didn't need to leave but the former princess was already bored and itching for something to do. The hours at Granny's were fair and the fact she got to stay there was a bonus. She had also picked up some shifts at the Rabbit Hole on a Friday and Saturday night. It seemed she really was settling in to Storybrooke life.

The day after Tiana had moved, Henry mentioned that he and Ivy should start looking for somewhere to live as they knew they couldn't stay at the mansion forever.

"You can stay here as long as you like," Regina insisted over dinner on their third day in town.

"I know," Henry replied. "But I'd like a place where we can live as a normal family. We've never actually lived somewhere just us and Sophia before."

Glancing at Ivy, he smiled softly and reached for her hand. Ivy accepted his hand and smiled back but Emma noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her brow furrowed with worry.

"I'd like you to stay here a little longer anyway," Regina said. "I'd like to keep monitoring Sophia's sleep so that I can try to figure out a way to stop her nightmares. I've found the book I wanted, but I can't seem to find what I need to fix it."

"Maybe we should have a look at Grandpa's shop?" Henry suggested.

"Grandpa has a shop?" Lennie piped up. "I thought he was a cop?"

Emma chuckled. "He's not here."

"This is so confusing," Lennie muttered.

"You'll get used to it," Emma promised. "Now, eat your broccoli."

Everyone chuckled when Lennie pulled a face at the aforementioned vegetable, but she begrudgingly picked up the whole floret on her fork and started nibbling at the stalk.

Once the meal was over, Ivy offered to sort out the dirty dishes while Henry helped the girls choose a film to watch and Regina fed Charlotte.

"I'll help," Emma said. "I can be useful!" She added when Regina, Henry and even Lennie raised their eyebrows at her. The resemblance was uncanny, but she ignored them and followed Ivy into the kitchen.

As she entered, she saw Ivy was running the water manually but had the plates floating into the dishwasher by magic. Regina avoided putting the pans and glasses into it so that there was more space and glasses didn't get smashed.

Emma leant against the counter and flicked her wrist, making the dish towel hung on the oven door fly into her hands before picking up the first pan that Ivy had washed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma asked quietly.

"About what?" Ivy replied as she started to scrub the burn marks on the casserole dish. As amazing as Regina's lasagne was, the cheesy top didn't half burn the baking dish.

"Whatever is going through that pretty brunette head of yours," Emma said gently. She knew Ivy didn't do well with confrontation. It was always better to ease in and she would eventual speak.

Ivy turned to the blonde with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't realise talking about washing up was so important to you."

Emma sighed as she leant forwards off the counter. "I know there's something going on, Ivy. I'm not stupid. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, Emma!" Ivy snapped which caught Emma off guard.

She held up her hands in defence. "Sorry!"

Ivy swallowed. "No, I'm sorry. I guess it's just being in a new place again. It's bringing out some anxiety. Plus, I keep feeling nauseous and headachy."

Emma smiled softly. "I was the exact same when I got here. It's an odd town but you get used to it."

Instead of replying, Ivy just nodded and placed the now clean casserole dish on the drying up rack before tackling the last pan. Feeling even more worried, Emma picked up the dish as the two worked alongside each other in silence.

As soon as they were finished, Ivy pulled the plug and dried her hands before disappearing. When Emma entered the living room, expecting to see Ivy sitting beside Henry or Sophia, she realised she wasn't there.

"Where's Ivy?" She asked quietly as she took a seat on the same sofa as Regina. Sophia saw her grandmother enter and walked over to sit on her knee.

"Mommy's gone upstairs," she answered.

Emma looked up to Henry with confusion on her face.

"She said she's not feeling too well," he said with a small shrug. "She's gone upstairs to read."

Mood swings and not feeling well, Emma thought to herself. There definitely was something going on with Ivy.

oOoOo

Another few days passed, and Regina decided it was time to call Rumple to meet him and Cora at the shop. They wanted to figure out what was going on with Sophia and Lennie's dreams as all parents were exhausted from several sleepless nights in a row from their screams.

Lennie tended to wake up between two and five in the morning pretty much every night with an ear-splitting scream echoing around the house. Emma would rush to her to calm her down. Some nights it would be a nightmare and Emma would either slip into bed beside her and cuddle her or read to her until she fell back asleep. Other nights were worse when Lennie had night terror. All Emma could do on those nights was sit beside her and wait for it to stop. Every night she wished for Lennie and Sophia to have dreamless sleeps, but every night, her wish failed.

Sophia tended to wake up a couple of times in the night, ranging from once to four times on the most extreme. She didn't scream as loudly as Lennie or as frightfully, but it was enough to wake both Emma and Regina up despite being at the other end of the hallway. The only fortunate part was the fact that they didn't have to see to her as Ivy or Henry were quickly heard rushing towards their daughter's room.

On top of Lennie and Sophia's nightmares, Charlotte woke up at least twice times in the night either for feeding or changing. Emma was starting to tell the difference in her cries for each as she didn't want Regina to have to get up every time when it was just to change her diaper. However, whenever tried to change her, Charlotte would keep crying. It was only when Regina finally got up did she start to quieten down.

Therefore, Regina took all three girls to the shop with her as Rumple wanted to be able to asses them and Charlotte couldn't be without Regina just in case she needed feeding. Henry and Ivy were due to start house hunting while Regina was distracted but Ivy still wasn't feeling very well so Henry went alone. He had asked Emma if she had wanted to join him, but she said someone should probably stay home with Ivy just in case she needed anything.

It wasn't missed on Henry that Emma hadn't left the house since the run in with Hook. He knew he should talk to her about it, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Realising he was going to miss the first house viewing, he bid his goodbye to his mother and headed out of the house leaving Emma alone in the living room at a loss as to what to do.

To distract herself, she found Henry's old baby albums and started flicking through the pages. There were dozens of photos as Regina had wanted to capture every moment she had with her son. Some people would have thought it was a little extreme, but Emma was grateful as she got to watch her son grow up in the pages.

When Ivy hadn't surfaced downstairs by two, Emma returned the photo albums and decided to make Ivy a quick batch of Cora's special chicken soup with some crunchy bread along with a cup of tea. The matriarch had sworn by it anytime the girls had gotten ill in Wonderland. She had even made Emma eat it when she'd gotten the flu when Lennie had been five. Emma was back on her feet in no time.

Emma levitated the tray upstairs and quietly knocked on the door. "Ivy, it's Emma. Can I come in?"

When she heard a faint, "Yes," she opened the door slightly and took in the sight in front of her.

Ivy was sitting on the left of the bed wearing an old t-shirt of Henry's and some sweats. Her hair was a bit messy and she was tucked up in bed. She had her laptop beside her, playing some film Emma hadn't seen.

"Hey," Emma said. "I brought you some of Cora's special soup. It's a kicker."

"Thanks," Ivy murmured and offered a small smile.

Emma placed it on the bed and turned to leave again.

"Em, wait," Ivy called.

The blonde stopped and turned to face the bed. "Yeah?"

Ivy swallowed. "I want to apologise for snapping yesterday. I'm not myself at the moment."

Emma took a few steps until she was perching on the edge of the bed. "You need to talk about it," she said gently.

"About what?" Ivy asked, again feigning ignorance.

"About killing Jacinda."


	54. Chapter 54

Ivy's eyes opened wide before they slowly started to fill with tears. She bit her lip to try to stop them, but it was to no avail. As she blinked, two escaped and started rolling down her face. She took a shaking breath and swallowed.

"I didn't mean to kill her," she whispered. "I just wanted the knife out of her hand, but I was concentrating so much on saving Henry, I overshot my magic. I was so angry at her."

Emma moved the tray she had brought up to the floor and moved to sit beside the brunette. She reached out and took hold of her hand.

"You did what any of us would have done," Emma assured her.

"No, you would have been able to control your magic," Ivy replied, shaking her head adamantly.

"You put too much faith in me," Emma said softly. She reached up to wipe away Ivy's flowing tears. "I wasn't always in control of it. In fact, I was useless. As Henry will agree and so will Regina. She was the one to teach me at the beginning and that was her favourite word to use." She swallowed. "I only got to grips with it when I became the Dark One. It was as if it was inbuilt in the curse to be able to wield it properly. It wasn't surprising that after the Darkness was taken away from me, my magic became really shaky. I, umm, tried to make Henry breakfast and I ended up setting the entire kitchen on fire!" She pulled a face. "Including Henry's school jumper. Regina was not impressed when she saw the scorch marks that I tried to lessen but accidentally made worse."

Finally, Ivy lips started to quiver into a smile before she sighed. "But no one was hurt. You didn't kill him."

"Because he was smart enough to stop, drop and roll," Emma said with a small chuckle in her voice. As terrified as she had been, seeing Henry drop to the floor and roll around like a toddler had been quite amusing. "Magic takes practice and with your emotions running as high as they were, it's not surprising that you overshot. Besides, Jacinda had it coming."

"I mean, I wanted her gone," Ivy muttered quietly. "I just never thought that I would be the one to do it in the end. I kinda thought that it would be you somehow."

"So did I, actually," Emma agreed.

"How do you live with knowing you're to blame for someone's death?" Ivy asked quietly.

"I pushed Cruella Devil over the edge of a cliff when she kidnapped Henry," Emma revealed. "It turned out afterwards that she physically couldn't hurt anyone, let alone kill. I killed her for no reason really. She was also far from pleased when I saw her in the Underworld."

Still, Ivy didn't fully smile despite the quivering lips. At least her tears had stopped.

"Look, honey, things happen that are out of our control," Emma continued. She reached out and took hold of Ivy's hand and squeezed it gently. "They're like that for a reason. No matter what, Jacinda was meant to die that evening and by your hand. I mean, like I said, I always thought it would be me, but I was a bit too preoccupied being in a coma and all that. It's just life. If you really need to talk to someone about it all, there's a therapist in town. Archie Hopper. He's great and has helped me a lot over the years. Especially after I stopped being the Dark One. It's just a shame I didn't see him when I really should have done…"

Emma's eyes darkened over as she was reminded once more of her time with Hook.

"Don't think about it," Ivy said quickly. "He's not worth your thoughts or feelings."

The blonde shook her head to shake the memories flashing before her eyes. "Yeah, maybe I'll book in for an appointment too actually."

"Can we go together?" Ivy asked quietly.

"Of course," Emma said. "Plus, you can always talk to me or Regina. You can tell us anything and we'll always be there for you." She waved her hand so that the soup tray was back on the bed. With another wave, she reheated the food.

Ivy smiled her thanks and picked up the spoon. After one sip of the soup, she pulled a slight face. "Does this have chilli in it?"

"Yep," Emma said proudly. "It's gives your immune system a boost when you're feeling down according to Cora."

"It's delicious," Ivy commented after another few sips. "It'll be worth the possible heartburn later."

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "You don't suffer from heartburn?"

The spoon clattered out of Ivy's hand and her head shot up. "I mean, umm…" she trailed off as she tried to come up with a reason that wasn't the truth, but she was coming up empty.

"Will you please tell me what else is going on?" Emma asked. "I don't want to presume; I'd rather you told me. I know there is something else going on than just the Jacinda thing." When Ivy continued to sit in silence, Emma sighed. "I mean, I've had two kids and witnessed my wife's pregnancy, I know the symptoms."

Ivy bit her lip and finally smiled a smile that reached her eyes despite the nervousness behind it. "I found out yesterday but haven't gotten around to telling Henry yet."

Emma squealed in delight. "I'm so happy for you!" She cheered. "Hen said you were thinking about it."

"Yeah, we've been thinking about it," Ivy revealed, "but we hadn't really been trying. It was more potluck. I can't be more than three weeks as Henry and I…" she blushed as she realised who she was speaking to. Despite looking like she was in her mid-thirties and how well the two got on, Emma was still Henry's mother after all. "Well, he didn't fully cheat on Jacinda is what I mean so…"

"I'm still ridiculously happy for you," Emma said with a grin, enjoying the fact that Ivy was getting so flustered.

"I've just been so anxious with the aftermath of the hospital roof and Sophia's nightmares," Ivy said. "I put being late down to that but while Henry was showing me around town a couple of days ago, I persuaded him to go order ahead in Granny's while I nipped into the chemist and to get a few 'lady things'. I just wanted to be certain and it turns out I was right."

"He's just like his father," Emma chuckled with a roll of her eyes. "Neal freaked whenever I said I needed lady things."

Ivy was quiet for a moment as she ate her soup. It really was delicious even if it was spicy. She'd just have to cast the heartburn charm that Regina had taught her when she was expecting Sophia if it arose.

"Everything alright?"

At Emma's question, Ivy looked back up from her now empty bowl. She waved her hand so that the tray landed on the floor once more but kept hold of her tea.

"What was Henry's dad like?" She asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how Emma would react to the question. "He's never really spoken much about him."

Thankfully, the blonde smiled softly. "Neal was goofy and silly," she replied. "He could always make me laugh whenever I was sad and so easy-going. I fell in love with him easily which is why it killed when he fucked me over." Her smile saddened for a second as she thought about that. "But without him, we wouldn't have Henry. I wouldn't have Regina and the girls by extension. When we saw each other again, there was a lot of bitterness but by the end, we were okay. We'd never have gotten back together, but we were good and I'm glad I was there when he passed. It was the first moment Rumple and I shared together and now look at us." She laughed quietly. "Perhaps Neal was the trigger for this to all happen. He shows that everything happens for a reason." She reached out and squeezed Ivy's knee. "Including what happened on that roof top."

Ivy released a sigh. "I guess you're right."

"What was that?" Emma teased. "Did someone just say I was right? That never happens!" She laughed as she watched Ivy roll her eyes. "You've been with Henry for too long."

"Oh please," Ivy sassed. "I've been rolling my eyes since I could walk."

Just then, there was a loud set of knocks on the front door. Whoever it was, was adamant that to be let into the house.

"If Henry's has forgotten his key, he knows better than to behave like that," Emma muttered as she stood up.

Ivy's eyes flashed. "Please–"

"I won't way a word about the pregnancy," Emma promised with an easy smile. "Coming?"

"Yep."

The two headed downstairs, the loud banging still echoing around the house. Emma was just relieved that Regina was out with Charlotte, otherwise the baby's balling would have added to the ferocious knocks.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Emma cried to the person behind the door. She had realised by now that it couldn't possibly be Henry; he was far too polite for that.

Ivy paused a few steps behind while Emma opened the door. To her utter surprise, though really, she should have known better, Snow was standing there with a young boy beside her.

It didn't take Emma long to recognise her brother. He had the same piercing blue eyes as Charming and slick deep blonde hair that matched their father's perfectly. He was the perfect mini-me in looks. Clearly, he hadn't been blessed with Charming's laid back, kind personality and had developed Snow's which could be easily warped.

Neal was wearing all back, despite being eight and should be dressed colourfully. He was in skinny jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket on top. Emma was half convinced that she would see a glint of silver from his hand so that he could completely look like the pirate but as she looked down, that wasn't the case.

Once again, Snow was dressed to the nines. Her hair was up in a French twist, leaving her full fringe hanging down. Her dress was deep red and fitted her body like a second skin, dipping low at the breast and stopping just short of her knees. The outfit was finished off with black stilettos. Definitely not the kind of shoe she would have worn before.

However, as Emma looked past her mother, she could see a car parked by the gate that she hadn't seen before. Even from this angle and her limited knowledge on cars, she could tell it was a new Mercedes-Benz of some sort. It was black and sleek and must have cost a fortune. It hadn't been there when Regina had left so it must belong to Snow. Goodness knows how she managed to get it into town.

"Emma!" Snow gasped, clearly surprised to see her daughter open the door, pulling Emma out of her inner confusion at the car.

Emma's brow furrowed. "Who were expecting to open the door?" She asked. "I live here."

Snow scoffed. "Please stop pretending, Emma. Now let me in so I can talk to Regina. I need to make sure she doesn't steal my job. I can't sleep knowing that she's back."

Instead of allowing Snow into the house, Emma stood her ground.

"Like I'm going to let you in with that attitude," Emma sneered before crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. "Besides, Regina isn't in."

Snow hesitated for a moment. Her eyes flickered side to side as she thought about what she should do instead. After a moment, she looked back at her daughter and faked a smile.

"Then perhaps we can have a proper catch up while we wait for her to return," Snow suggested. "Neal can tell you about himself."

Emma rolled her eyes and glanced at her brother who looked like he'd rather do anything else but she soon founder herself stepping aside. She didn't want to speak to her mother in the slightest but decided to humour her. She could use some entertainment. "Fine."

"Thank you!"

Once they were inside, Neal stared around the foyer and his eyes landed on Ivy.

"Who are you?"

Emma looked at her mother with her eyebrows raised in shock. "Are you not going to say anything to him for his lack of manners?"

However, Snow wasn't listening; she was already walking into the study like she owned the place. Emma sighed and turned to Ivy.

"Ivy, that was my mother, Snow, and this is my brother, Neal," Emma explained even though Ivy had understood who they were when she saw them. "Neal, this is Henry's fiancée, Ivy."

"Whatever," Neal replied before following his mother.

Emma shut her eyes slowly and took a deep breath. "Kill me now," she muttered.

"Want me to stay?" Ivy offered. She still wasn't feeling a hundred percent, but she didn't want to leave the blonde with the clearly clinically insane woman in the study.

"Please," Emma nodded. "Even if my father is the Sheriff and has divorced her, I still don't think I'll get off scot-free for murder."

Ivy chuckled quietly as the two headed into the study.

Snow was already sitting down on one of the sofas while Neal was walking around, picking up everything he got his hands on.

"Neal, don't touch what isn't yours," Emma instructed. "If you break anything, Regina will kill you."

Neal turned towards his sister with a vase in his hand. He stared straight at her and smirked before letting go. The vase dropped to the floor and smashed; pieces shattered everywhere.

"You little–"

"Emma!"

Emma turned to her mother. "You're yelling at me but not him who purposefully broke something? What the hell, Snow?!"

The blonde turned back to the vase and flicked her wrist. The shattered pieces flew back together until the vase was one again. It settled back on the fireplace as good as new.

_I wish Neal would do as he was told._

"Neal, sit down!" Emma snapped after her wish was made. As soon as she spoke, Neal moved, as if he was being forced to, to the sofa before sitting down beside his mother.

Emma walked over to her brother and crouched in front of him. The young boy looked confused at how he was suddenly sitting beside his mother when he hadn't wanted to sit down.

"Right, if you promise to behave, I'll set you up on Henry's PlayStation," Emma offered.

"Okay," Neal chuntered. "Please," he added as if he was forced. Well, he was by Emma's wish.

Emma then led him into the living room and waved her hand a few times. A couple of minutes later, Neal was sitting on a beanbag, playing Crash Bandicoot. Emma waved her hand over the more X-rated games so that he wouldn't be see them and be tempted to change the game.

Once she was content that he wasn't going to break anything else, she headed back into the study where Ivy had finally sat down. Emma entered just in time to hear Snow introducing herself.

"My apologies, I'm Mayor Snow White," Snow said, holding out her hand, but didn't rise from the sofa.

Ivy leant over the small coffee table and shook Snow's. "Ivy Belfrey. I'm Henry's fiancée. It's, umm, nice to meet you?"

Emma struggled to keep the chuckle out of her voice at Ivy's tone. She clearly wasn't sure what to make of the woman.

Snow squealed, actually squealed, as she heard who Ivy actually was. "Henry said he had a daughter. She's going to be a beauty from looking at you. She's called Sophia, Henry said?"

Emma crossed the room to sit beside Ivy. She waved her hand and produce a tray of tea. Snow snatched a mug immediately and sipped while Emma took her time in making hers and Ivy's.

"Sophia Enna Mills," Ivy replied before glancing at Emma. "Though, I suppose we'd better change that to Swan-Mills if Henry changes his name to match yours. He's said he wants to."

"Wow, you're in with the lies too!" Snow scored. "Really, Emma? Bringing this lovely woman into the family and surrounding her with lies."

Emma inhaled slowly once again. "I told you last week, Snow. Regina and I are married," she said as calmly she could currently muster.

"I just can't believe it," Snow practically whispered. She tea mug hovered below her chin and shook. The liquid threatened to tipple over the edge. Emma quickly waved her hand over it so that the tea wouldn't spill and ruin Regina's carpet. As good as her magic was, removing spells evaded her.

"From what I heard before I met Emma, it was pretty obvious how they felt about each other. If that helps?" Ivy offered with a small smile. "Even when Regina was cursed and didn't know her, the connection between them was still rather strong."

"Curse?" Snow repeated and Emma found herself losing the strength to live.

"Yes, Snow," she sighed. "I told you we broke another curse." She then went onto tell the mayor about everything that had just happened.

Despite everything that Emma had said, including the fact that Lennie and Sophia, two girls who Snow should feel a connection to as they were her granddaughter and great-granddaughter respectively, had been in danger, naturally, her mind went elsewhere.

"So, there are more unregistered people walking around Storybrooke and one is a wish version of my boyfriend?!"

Emma scoffed. "Firstly, _now _you admit that you're dating Hook when you didn't last time and secondly, that's your first thought?! Not the fact that Lennie and Sophia were almost killed for some evil bitch's need to control children?"

Snow waved her hand and placed her now empty teacup on the table. "You said you saved Elena and Sophia, I don't need to worry about them. I'm more worried that there are strangers here!"

Both Emma and Ivy's eyes widened in shock. Ivy glanced at Emma, sharing her look of incredulity. She was really starting to understand everything negative Emma had ever said about Snow, on the odd occasion that she had spoken about her. Even then, she was completely understanding why she never spoke of the woman in general.

"Jesus, you need to sort out your priorities!" Emma snapped. "Yes, there are others here, but they're entitled to be. Nook is here because of Alice and Alice is here because of Robyn. Victoria is here because of Zelena and Ivy and Ivy is here because of Henry. Every single one of them is welcome here and as _Mayor,_ you should be welcoming them with open arms."

Snow scowled at the tone of Emma's voice when she said Mayor. Just as she went to reply, Emma heard the familiar sound of a key turning in the door. She half hoped that it would be Henry returning home. That would be easier than the alternative.

However, she soon heard the familiar voice of her daughter who was talking at full pace like always, followed by Regina's signature heels clicking across the foyer and the wheels of Charlotte's pram as she pushed it to the corner where they stored it.

"Baron could live in the back garden, right?" Lennie was asking. Emma could hear the hope in her voice loud and clear. She had said they would look into getting Baron once they were settled and she was telling the truth. However, for now, she felt far from settled despite being back almost a week.

Regina chuckled. "We'll see, honey," she said quietly before calling louder, "Em?"

"Study!" Emma called back.

Seconds later, Regina entered the study but without Lennie and Sophia. Clearly, they had gone to investigate the noise coming from the living room.

As soon as Regina stepped in, Emma felt herself fill with love as she always did when she saw her wife. Charlotte was still in the baby carrier that Regina must have lifted off the pram.

"Snow," Regina greeted, her voice passive. "Can I ask why you're in my house?"

"I came to speak to you," Snow replied. However, she was unable to keep her feelings out of her voice as the bitterness slipped through. "What on earth are you wearing?"

Regina looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a pair of jeans which she typically wore along with a button-down shirt which made breastfeeding much easier than having to lift up a t-shirt.

"What I want," Regina retorted. "Not that it matters. Why did you want to speak to me?"

"About my job," Snow said. "Though I was rather surprised to see my daughter open the door instead."

Regina raised her eyebrow as she set the baby carrier down. She bent down and picked up the still sleeping baby, hoping that Snow would keep her voice down once she saw the baby.

Ivy walked to Regina. "I'll take Charlie for now," she muttered and Regina offered her a grateful smile, before passing over the baby. Ivy then headed out of the room to check up on the kids, not wanting the girls around Neal after what Henry had told her what had happened. She had an inkling that Emma had cast a wish spell on him, but she didn't want to risk it.

Once she had left, Regina walked over to the sofa and sat beside Emma before looking at her former stepdaughter turned mother in law.

"So, Snow, why would you be surprised to see my wife in our house?" Regina asked, deciding not to concentrate on the job aspect of her answer. Regina's tone was wry which Emma picked up on immediately. Unfortunately, Snow did not.

"Because she cannot possibly be your wife!" Snow snapped.

Emma was grateful that Ivy had taken the baby out of the room. Even though it took a lot to wake her, the volume of Snow's voice would have awoken her by now.

"Yes, we are!" Emma cried. She waved her hands and sound proofed the room so that Ivy would be able to hear the conversation, but the kids would be none the wiser. She held up her ring finger on her left hand that held her engagement and wedding rings. "These show that we are. The document we signed proves it! Rumple officiated and Lennie was kidnapped at the end of the ceremony. Why can't you just accept it?"

"Because she is my enemy!" Snow hissed and Regina rolled her eyes.

"And there was me thinking we'd bonded before I left," Regina replied sarcastically. "You know what, it doesn't surprise me that Charming left you. Kathryn really is a better option and Abby seems very sweet."

That must have hit a nerve as Snow turned practically purple as she seethed. "Do not speak about _them_ to me."

Regina raised her eyebrow and smirked. Emma knew that expression. The former Evil Queen was about to play and Emma had no intention to interrupt.

"And why's that, Snow?" Regina asked. "Because he's realised how spoilt and self-centred you are? Because he couldn't cope with the fact that your heart is tainted from killing my mother? And would you look at that, Mother is alive and well again, but your heart will always be cursed." She tilted her head as if considering what to say next. "Or perhaps it's the fact that he actually cares about Abby in a way he doesn't about Neal because you let that _monster _warp him into a young version of him. I'd be careful if I were you, Snow, of you could end up with a criminal for a son as well as a husband!"

Just as the words left her lips, a high-pitched scream erupted from the living room followed by a bang and a different shout.

"Sophia!" They heard Ivy cry, but her voice came from upstairs instead of the living room.

"Neal!" Snow screamed as she heard the second. She was up on her feet and out of the room in seconds.

Emma and Regina quickly followed, rushing to the living room just to see Ivy running down the stairs as gently as she could with Charlotte in her arms.

"I left for a second to change her!" Ivy said breathlessly from running.

"Neal!" Snow screamed again. "Get down!"

Confused, the three entered the room completely unprepared for what they were about to see.


	55. Chapter 55

Neal seemed to be hovering in the air, his arms flailing around and legs kicking as he tried to figure out a way to get down. Snow was reaching for his hand but every time they went to grasp each other, Neal would float out of her reach.

A meter away from where Neal was floating, Sophia was lying crumpled on the ground. It was obvious that she had either fallen or been pushed.

"Soph!" Ivy cried as she saw her daughter. She turned to Regina and placed gently Charlotte in her arms before rushing over to her daughter to assess what was going on.

With Charlotte in her arms, Regina followed Ivy. She placed Charlotte into her baby box and waved her hand over her, a sound blocking charm placed over her so that she could still sleep through Snow's constant crying and yelling for her son to get down.

When she realised that he wasn't going to come down on his own accord, Snow turned to Emma. "Emma, help him!" She screamed. "I can't get him down. I don't understand how he's up there!"

Emma turned to Lennie and saw the sheer concentration on her face she always had when she was casting a spell, and whenever Neal rose, her eyes went with him. As she didn't have her arms outstretched to cast the spell, Snow didn't realise who was in control of Neal. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Emma couldn't help but be proud of her daughter's magic skill.

"Lennie, put him down," Emma instructed gently.

Lennie snapped her head to the side. As she turned, her concentration was broken and Neal came crashing to the floor. He hit the floor with a bang but no one but Snow seemed to care at that moment.

"He pushed her!" Lennie cried pointing at Neal, her finger shaking with anger. "He pushed Soph."

Snow was already by her son's side, checking him any sign of injury as he had hit the floor harshly. She wasn't even listening to what Lennie was saying.

Ivy turned from where she had been crouching beside a now awake but very confused Sophia. "He did what?" She asked.

"Soph ran in front of the TV for a second to get a different pillow and then he stood up and pushed her out of the way," Lennie replied. "She went flying so I thought he should see how it would feel to fly!"

"What?!" Snow screamed as she pulled her son towards her, holding him close before pointing her finger at Lennie, staring directly at Regina. It seemed she had finally tuned back into the conversation and realised who was behind Neal's moment of defying gravity. "She definitely is your child. She's a monster! Just like you!"

Suddenly, Snow was pressed up against the wall, unable to free herself, with Neal dropped to the floor out of her reach. Emma turned, expecting to see Regina holding her hand out, but it was Ivy who was glaring at the woman with sheer fury. Regina was staring at Ivy in shock.

"Lennie is the monster when your son pushed a four-year-old so hard that it knocked her out?!" Ivy scoffed. "I'm sorry, but how do you manage that?"

Snow struggled against the invisible bindings. "She used magic against him!"

"He's fine!" Ivy snapped. To prove her point, Neal was slowly standing up, shaking his legs out, clearly showing that he was completely fine after his falls. "Sophia has a bump the size of a golf ball on her head! You need to get your priorities right. Lennie was defending her niece." Ivy took a step towards Snow. "I heard you were all about peace and goodness, but it seems Henry was wrong. Your heart is as black as coal."

"Get off my mom!" Neal screamed as he realised what was going on. He rushed towards Ivy, but Emma was ahead of him. She waved her hand and the boy froze mid-step.

"Ivy, let her down," Emma said calmly.

Reluctantly, Ivy retracted her hand and Snow fell to the ground on all fours with a lounder bang than was necessary as Ivy had added an extra push in her dismount. Slowly Snow stood up, her eyes narrow but not aimed at Ivy, despite what one would imagine, but aimed at Emma instead. It seemed Snow was fine with magic used against her, but not her son.

"Let him go," Snow instructed as if she had all the authority in the room.

Emma just scoffed. "Not a chance while he's a menace. I'm not surprised Dad left you if this is what you've become. Now, you're going to get out of our house and never come back," she commanded, her voice low but powerful. "And if I see him near my daughters or granddaughter again, _I'll_ come for _you_ instead."

To add to her threat, Emma lit her hand up with a fireball.

Finally, Snow had no comeback for Emma's threat. She knew full well what her magic was like and knew that it would have improved while she had been away under Cora's teaching. Now was not the time to provoke her.

Ivy stepped out of the way so that when Neal was unfrozen, he would run straight into the sofa, which he did once Emma released him. He fell into the fabric and growled in anger. He turned, ready to face his sister, but was stopped by his mother's voice.

"Come, Neal," Snow commanded. "It's time to go home."

This time, the boy heeded his mother's instruction and followed her out of the room. Emma went with them and opened the door wide.

"Don't think I don't know what Rumple did to Killian," Snow sneered as she went to leave. "We haven't forgotten."

Emma had no idea what Snow implied, but she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she just ignored it. "I mean it, Snow," she said. "Don't ever come back."

Snow shot her a look that Emma couldn't quite understand before she pulled Neal out of the house. As they got to the gate, Emma called out, "Oh, and Snow?"

"What!" She bellowed as she turned back.

"Your fear about Regina wanting her job back?" Emma called before laughing darkly. "Be very afraid because you won't be the queen of the castle for long!"

And with that, Emma slammed the door shut. She held up her hands and cast a repelling charm so that if Snow, Hook or Neal ever came to the house, they would simply be thrown backwards.

With a deep breath, Emma headed back into the living room. Ivy was once more holding Charlie while Regina was casting a gently healing charm on Sophia's forehead. Even from across the room, Emma could see the bump on the girl's head reducing and the bruise around her eyes getting brighter.

Lennie was standing back, looking unsure of herself.

"Monkey," Emma called gently and Lennie turned to her blonde mother, her eyes wide with fear that she was going to be in trouble. Instead, Emma opened her arms wide.

With a look of relief, Lennie ran over and launched herself into her mother's arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry! I just got really angry when he hurt her. She did nothing wrong."

"I know, sweetie," Emma said quickly after pressing a soft kiss to Lennie's head. "I can't fault you for what you did. You got him off her."

Lennie's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not in trouble?"

"Not with me," Emma said before looking up at Regina who was watching them. "What about you, honey?"

Regina walked slowly over to where Emma and Lennie were standing. Her face was passive as she didn't give away what she was thinking. Lennie half hid herself behind her blonde mother in fear of not knowing what was about to happen.

"You're not in trouble," Regina said eventually before raising her eyebrow. "Your mother is right, you got him off her, but in future, your magic isn't there for you to attack. It's there to protect."

"But he hurt her?" Lennie said. "She wouldn't move. I got scared and didn't know what else to do."

"Lennie, sweetheart, it's okay," Regina reassured her daughter as she knelt down in front of her. She took her daughter's hands in her as she explained what she meant. "We understand why you did it, but I need you to know this about magic while you're learning. It's a gift, not a weapon. I didn't understand that when I was younger and first using it. I learnt it the hard way."

Regina swallowed as she remembered her days as Evil Queen, where she would use her magic to kill and torture for fun.

"Who's up for some food?" Emma suggested to distract everyone. It was getting on for six and with the traumatic day, they hadn't gotten around to prepping the kids' dinner. "I know I'm hungry."

Regina glanced at her wife gratefully before Charlotte started to cry. "It seems everyone is."

With the moment over, Regina set about feeding Charlotte while Ivy suggested she and the girls watched a film.

"I guess that leaves me with cooking duty," Emma said with a chuckle. "Shall I call the others and invite them over? I think we need to let them know what's going on."

What Emma really meant by that was she wanted to talk to Cora as she wanted her mother but chose to disguise it. Regina nodded and she called Zelena while Emma called Cora.

Once the calls were made, Emma headed into the kitchen to start looking through the fridge for something she could easily whip up for ten people. Regina had already confirmed that Robyn, Alice and Nook wouldn't be joining. Nook was joining Tiana for dinner and the girls had a dinner date at the diner planned.

Emma had barely looked through when she heard the tell-tale whoosh of someone poofing into the room. Turning, Emma saw the familiar auburn hair and kind smile that curled into a teasing smirk.

"We stop living together for just over a week and you've already forgotten about me?" Cora joked as she put down a grocery bag on the counter.

"Like I could forget about you, Mother dearest," Emma replied with a chuckle before crossing the room and embracing her, breathing in her comforting smell. "I just needed to see you today."

Cora pulled back and looked at her daughter, full of concern. She had been informed what had happened at the diner with Hook and was furious about it. Rumple had filled her in as soon as he had got home. She had presumed that Emma would have called her about it or come over, but she never had so Cora had presumed that everything was okay.

"What happened?" She asked.

"My mother and ex-husband are raising a monster," Emma revealed as she leant back against the counter and ran her fingers through her hair. "And I'm to blame."

"What?!" Cora gasped as she stepped forward. "How are you to blame for that?"

"I left," Emma said quietly. "If I didn't leave, Snow and Hook wouldn't have teamed up. My parents would probably still be together and David would be able to raise his son into a pretty decent guy instead of the terror he's already become."

Cora took hold of Emma's hand, not in an unsimilar way to how Regina had taken Lennie's only fifteen minutes ago. "Em, you weren't safe here anymore. Nothing that happened after you left was your fault. Your father is an idiot, yes, but even he would have seen through Snow's craziness eventually. You're not the catalyst. Okay?"

Emma didn't look convinced but nodded. "Okay," she reluctantly agreed. "I should probably start cooking." She let go of Cora's hands and turned to head back to the fridge.

"We can start cooking," Cora corrected with a smile. "You're not alone, Emma."

"Thanks," Emma muttered.

The two then started chopping and preparing side by side without any further fuss. Cora had brought extra chicken and vegetables, knowing that the mansions probably wouldn't be stocked enough to feed so many. They could have magicked up extra food, but it never tasted as good.

Henry arrived not long after his grandparents. He poked his head into kitchen to say hello before heading into the living room to join in the film with the rest. Although, Emma could hear that he and Rumple were just sitting in the corner ripping whichever Disney film Lennie and Sophia had decided on.

From the music, Emma realised they were watching Beauty and the Beast, so Rumple had every right to be slating the film to shreds. Emma's favourite comments were about the talking furniture. "Bloody talking candelabra, like I'd have allowed something that stupid to tell me what to do."

Zelena and Victoria arrived halfway through dinner preparation with the latter heading into the living room to see Ivy and Sophia while Zelena headed into the kitchen. She leant against the counter beside Emma who was standing by the stove, stirring the veg while Cora prepped a salad bowl for those who wanted some. Well, for herself and Regina.

"How you holding up?" Zelena asked.

"I'm fine," Emma replied as she added seasoning to the pan.

"Now say it like you mean it," Zelena said with a raised eyebrow.

"I am fine," Emma repeated as she put the spatula down. "Honestly. You don't need to worry about me."

Zelena chuckled. "I'm always going to worry about you. It's what older sisters do."

Emma shot her a warm smile and shoulder bumped her. "You're not too bad yourself." She returned back to the pan and added the peanut sauce she had already prepared in a separate bowl into the pan and stirred quickly. "You can take the dishes to the dining room and call everyone for dinner."

Always a fan of magic, Zelena charmed the plates to hover in front of her as she led them into the dining room. Following her lead, Emma waved her hand over the pans and emptied them into the serving dishes that Cora had placed beside her before they took them into the dining room.

Dinner was a rather easy affair as Henry started the conversation, telling everyone about the different houses he had visited but none of them had been _the one_.

"Good," Regina muttered. She was still reluctant to have Henry move out despite being twenty-six. She still saw him as her little boy. "But we did make progress with the girls' nightmares."

"You have?" Ivy asked, her voice thick with hope.

Regina nodded. "There's a potion they can have that will warp them into something good." She then bit her lip. "The only issue is that it takes a while to brew."

"Obviously," Emma muttered.

Regina shot her a worried look but then turned back to Ivy. "It's not impossible, just long."

Ivy sighed. "It's better than nothing."

Once the meal was over, Sophia and Lennie headed to the den to continue watching their film before they were due to go to bed. Victoria offered to go down with them so that they weren't alone.

Emma pulled out a bottle of Regina's cider and poured the adults a glass. She hesitated when it came to Ivy who shook her head.

"Not for me tonight, I'm sleepy enough as it is," she said, covering for the reason she didn't want any.

Henry was none the wiser as he held out his glass. "More for me."

Regina raised her eyebrow at her son. "Just because you're an adult now does not mean you can get drunk in my house, young man."

Henry swallowed and put his glass down on the table. "Yes, Mom."

The room chuckled at his reaction. Even while feeding a precious baby, Regina was still intimidating.

Once everyone had a drink of something, both Ivy and Regina drinking regular apple juice, Emma revealed what happened between her and Snow before going onto to what happened with Neal.

"I totally get what you meant about her," Ivy muttered. "Snow is deranged."

"I just don't get it," Henry said as he nursed his cider in his hands, ensuring to take only small sips at a time under Regina's watchful eye. "She used to be the epitome of good?"

"Sometimes when people get a fraction of darkness on their heart, they're on a never-ending downward spiral," Rumple revealed. "Snow's heart was darkened the day she killed Cora to save me. Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to come back from that. What's going on now is proving that."

Ivy shuffled in her seat as she listened to Rumple's words. Jacinda's death flashing before her eyes over and over again.

"I'm sorry," she muttered before standing up and walking out of the room. The sounds of her footsteps headed up the stairs instead of down where Emma presumed she would go.

"Is she alright?" Cora asked.

Emma turned back from watching Ivy's departure. "She's struggling a little after killing Jacinda. Talking about spiralling into darkness after killing one person probably wasn't the best idea."

"Ivy will be fine," Zelena insisted. "She's a pure as anything."

"Yeah, but so was Snow," Emma murmured and the room went silent as no one knew what to say after that.

oOoOo

"You'd tell me if anything was the matter, right?" Regina asked as she slipped into bed that evening after putting Charlotte down in the crib at the side of the bed.

Emma glanced at her wife and nodded. "I'm fine," she said with as much lacklustre as she had when she said the same to Zelena earlier. Just like her sister, Regina raised her eyebrow, not believing the blonde for a second. "It's just taking some adjusting being back in Storybrooke. I didn't think it would be this hard."

Regina's brow furrowed as shuffled closer to the blonde. She didn't touch her, allowing Emma to make as much, or as little, contact as she wanted. It didn't take Emma long to snuggle into Regina's side, forcing her arm up so that she could lay on her shoulder.

"How so?" Regina asked as she automatically started trailing her fingertips up and down Emma's arm.

"Being back here with them," Emma replied. "I know Zelena said things were different, but I expected to come back and slot back in as I never left. But instead, I feel even more of an outsider than I did when I first arrived. I'm scared to leave the house in case I see him. I don't want to fight with Snow, as aggravating as she is, but she's become even more self-righteous than I thought was possible. My dad has another daughter, so he doesn't need me anymore, despite what he says and he's so settled as Sheriff that I don't want to interrupt that. Yet if I don't, I don't have a job here. I mean bartending was fun back in Hyperion Heights, but that was because I got to spend all my time there with you. I am not working at the Rabbit Hole."

"Em, you have to calm down," Regina instructed. "David is more than okay with you being Sheriff again. The girls and I had lunch with Kat and Abby and she said as much. You're going to have to leave the house at some point. You can't stay here forever. But leave Snow to me. If anyone is going to bring her down a few pegs, it'll be me."

Emma sighed and leant into Regina's embrace, the one place she felt safest in the world.

"How about this, why don't we take Lennie and Charlotte out for a walk tomorrow?" Regina suggested. "Then you can go out with me and I'll protect you. Plus, it'll give us some family time too. What do you say?"

After a minute or two of contemplating, Emma slowly nodded. She reached up and kissed Regina softly. "I'm game."

"Good."

When Regina went to roll over to turn out the light, Emma reached up and pulled her head back so that they were facing each other.

"Wha-"

Her question was cut off by Emma's lips, swallowing whatever she was about to say. There was nothing rushed about their kiss. It was just two people sharing their love for each other with tender strokes of their tongues and caressed of their lips. Before long, Regina was laying on Emma's front with Emma's hands in her hair, pulling her close.

Reinga pulled back and smiled down at the blonde beneath her. Emma's hair was spread like a golden halo and her lips were bruised from their kiss.

"I love you," Emma breathed. "I love you more than anything."

There was an honesty in Emma's voice that Regina had never heard before. They had confessed their love for each other many times, but this seemed to hold more weight than before. Emma was looking at her, slightly vulnerably, but with so much love that Regina thought she was going to explode.

Emma wasn't just giving her, her love, she was giving her, her soul and in that moment, Regina promised to protect it and care for it as long as she lived.

"I love you too," she promised before closing the gap between the once more.

oOoOo

The next morning, Emma tried to forget about the fact that she was due to leave the house. She was fully aware that she hadn't left since the incident with Hook, but she hadn't let herself think about it until she'd confessed to Regina about it the night before. If she had it her way, she'd rather curl up in front of the fire with a book with her head on Regina's lap while the brunette played with her hair.

However, at ten o'clock, she found herself helping Lennie into her jacket and watching her tie her laces with flick of her wrist. Emma raised her eyebrow at her daughter who just shrugged.

"I'm so excited!" She cried. "We can go see all the places where Baron can stay, right?"

"Of course," Emma replied.

There, that would distract her from looking around for any sight of leather and a hook. She would help her daughter find somewhere for Baron to stay. There had to be somewhere in Storybrooke for a Bandersnatch to live as the mansion's garden wasn't as big as back at Cora's castle grounds.

Regina then walked forward with a snoozing Charlotte in her pram. "Ready?"

Emma took in a shaky breath before nodding. "Let's go."

The small family bid goodbye to Henry and the others who were having breakfast after having a late morning. Sophia had been up a couple of times in the night, but for once, Lennie had slept all the way through.

Once out the door, Regina stated to push the pram up the garden with Emma holding onto Lennie's hand. As they walked, they pointed out different parts of the town where things had happened. They had barely walked out of the front door when Emma shared the first tale.

"This is where your mom and I first met," she revealed. "Her hair was shorter than it is now and she was wearing a beautiful grey dress. Even though she was terrified for Henry's safety, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen."

"And your mother was wearing a ghastly red leather jacket," Regina added, showing that she remembered the moment in rather a lot of detail too. "But I have to begrudgingly admit that I thought you were rather stunning yourself, even if you had stolen my son."

Emma chuckled. "Hey, _our_ son kidnapped me."

"So you fell in love at first sight?" Lennie asked as she looked between her mothers who were sharing the same goofy smile they always had for each other.

"Definitely not," Emma replied, still chuckling. "But there was a spark there. We just didn't know what it meant at the time."

Regina leant over and kissed Emma softly. "But we know it now." She then turned to Lennie. "Ready for the tour?"

"Yep!" Lennie cried before skipping ahead of her mothers onto the street. Emma and Regina followed her, both resting a hand on the pram, ready to explore the town as a family.


	56. Chapter 56

Their walk took them all around the main areas of Storybrooke, as really, it wasn't a very large town. They passed the apartment where Emma had first lived with Snow and her family. Emma tried to rush past that part and fortunately, Lennie didn't comment on it.

When they passed the school, Emma toyed with the idea of bringing up whether Lennie should join and get taught with others but thought better of it. She knew the conversation needed to be had, but it was best that Lennie wasn't actually present for it.

They walked past the play area that Regina had rebuilt shortly after Emma had first arrived and allowed Lennie to have a run around while Regina fed Charlotte who had started to wake up. Emma had cast a discretion charm around them so that no one would be able to see Regina while she was feeding so that she had some privacy.

"I love how you're such a natural with all of this," Emma commented as she stroked Charlotte's still short hair.

Regina smiled. "It feels natural," she replied with a content smile. "It's the best thing for her and I'm more than happy to give her that."

Emma leant in and kissed Regina softly. "You're amazing."

"Moms, look at this!" Lennie called.

They looked up to watch her complete the monkey bars without any hesitation.

"Very nicely done," Regina complimented but Emma chuckled.

"Yeah, now do it without any magic."

Lennie's jaw dropped as she realised that Emma had caught her out. Instead of doing as her mother suggested, Lennie ran over to them.

"How did you know?" She asked, completely curious to how she had been spotted.

"Monkey bars take sheer concentration and I know your concentrating face," Emma replied with a raised eyebrow. "That was your magic face."

Stumped, Lennie couldn't even deny it. Instead, she shrugged and headed back over to the slide.

"Your magic detection is impressive," Regina commented. "I hadn't realised."

Emma shook her head and laughed. "I just know Lennie."

Before long, Charlotte finished feeding and fell back asleep, allowing Regina to place her back into the pram. They called Lennie over and recommenced the tour.

They decided to avoid the docks and going anywhere near Emma's old house in case they saw Snow or Hook. That was the last thing they needed when they were having such a lovely morning stroll. The weather was on their side. A little cloudy but warm enough that they only needed a light jacket.

As they headed past the garage, Emma spotted something very familiar in the 'for sale' section. She had finally found her beloved bug. She let out an excited squeal and rushed over, running her hands all over the paintwork which hadn't been touched since she last saw it. It seemed whoever now owned the garaged had left it as it was.

"I've been wondering where you've been!" Emma gasped as she practically hugged the car.

As Regina made her way over, she saw that she hadn't seen Emma looked so excited since they had arrived back. It was beautiful to see.

"Lennie, stay here and keep an eye on your mother and sister," Regina instructed. "I'm going to see the owner."

If Emma heard what Regina had said, she didn't comment on it as she circled the car, checking it for any damage that she hadn't caused over the years until Regina came back with the owner.

Emma didn't recognise the young man; he must have come over with the numerous people from the land of untold stories.

"This is my wife's car," Regina said.

The young man checked the clipboard he was holding. "We've put it on the market for $1000."

"No, you're not understanding, this _is _my wife's car already," Regina reiterated. "She won't be buying when she already owns it." She turned to Emma who had finally stood up. "Do you have your ownership documents?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, they're in the glovebox." She then waved her hand and produced the key to the car, not realising that having the key was enough proof. She slipped it into the lock and rattled the opening to the glovebox until it popped open. With a grin, she saw the documents and pulled them out. "Look, Emma Swan. Boston."

The mechanic glanced at the documents and up at the blonde, not looking convinced. "If this is your car, where have you been for the past seven years while it's been here?"

"In a different realm," Emma said simply. "Look, I have the key already and I knew the trick to opening the glovebox. Plus, I own the documents. Give me my car back."

"You'll hear no complaints from me," the man said, holding his hand up in defeat. "I was confused when the Mayor brought it here to be scrapped anyway. She said we had to get rid of it, but the mechanics still work pretty well despite its age, so we decided to sell it instead. No one wanted it and she never came back to check. Enjoy having it back."

Emma squealed as she looked back at the car, ignoring what the mechanic said about Snow. "Come to Mama!"

Lennie giggled as she saw how happy her mother was. Like Regina, she hadn't seen Emma look so excited recently and she was glad to see it return.

"So, I'll poof this back to the mansion and then we'll continue with the walk, shall we?" Emma suggested.

After a nod from Regina, Emma waved her hand over the car and sent it back to their house. When they continued walking, she had an added spring to her step. They walked through the park and along the lake. Lennie had asked if Baron could live there as it was an open space with water and things to hunt, but Emma had explained that it was a public area and wouldn't be safe.

With a frown, Lennie nodded before skipping off again. Soon enough, they found themselves outside the Sheriff's station.

"Do you want to see where I'll be working soon?" Emma asked, hoping it would distract her from finding somewhere for Baron to stay.

"Sure!" Lennie replied and the three of them made their way over.

Emma helped Regina lift the pram into the building as they walked into the office. Charming was sitting at his desk, throwing darts at the wall which had been one of their favourite pastimes. To add to it, when Emma saw the photo on the dartboard, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Really, David?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

Charming spun on his seat as he realised he was no longer alone. He laughed before launching his last dart at the board, hitting Hook square in the eye.

"It's satisfying," he replied with a cheeky grin Emma knew well. It was something Henry had picked up from him. "How can I help you lovely ladies today?"

"Moms are showing me around town," Lennie revealed as she skipped over to her grandfather. Charming opened his arms wide and Lennie jumped into his lap. Despite one meeting, she was already rather comfortable with him, just like she had been with Rumple.

"And how do you like it so far?" He asked.

"It's great," Lennie replied. "But we haven't found anywhere for Baron to live yet."

Charming raised his eyebrow. "Who's Baron?"

"My pet Bandersnatch!" Lennie said with a grin. "He's amazing and soooo fluffy!"

Emma reached up and feigned scratching her back. "Did I not mention she's inherited Snow's ability to talk to animals?"

Charming shook his head. "No, I think that's new. It's an impressive skill, but a Bandersnatch, really?"

Lennie nodded. "He chose us. We found him in the forest in Wonderland and I just knew he belonged with us. I miss him." Her head hung as she frowned.

"Hey, we'll get him, sweetie," Emma said as she walked forward. She hooked her finger under Lennie's chin to bring her head up and smiled at her softly. "I promised you we would and we will. As soon as we figure out where he can live, I'll go get him." She then turned to Charming. "Then the next time Snow pisses me off, we can feed her to him."

"Mom!"

"Emma!"

Emma held her hands up as she saw matching disapproving looks on her wife and daughter. "I'm joking!"

However, she turned to Charming and winked when she saw him slightly give a thumbs up.

"So, when are you coming back?" Charming asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I'm not sure yet," Emma replied. "Hey, did you know Snow gave my car away and told them to scrap it? I found it at the garage earlier."

Charming's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No!" He gasped before sighing. "It doesn't surprise me though. When she moved in with him, she got rid of everything you owned or touched. They were all in the yard. I got a call about a fire that needed putting out and that was the kindling."

Emma shook her head. "She's mental."

"She's not the woman I fell in love with, that's for sure," Charming commented sadly. "Anyway, if you could come back soon, that would be great. I'm fed up of being alone."

"I will be back," she promised. "But perhaps you do need some company until then." She turned to Regina who had been silently watching the conversation from where she was sat at Emma's old desk. "What about Nook? I mean, he was a detective in Hyperion Heights."

Regina considered it for a moment. "Sure, but maybe we should explain the situation before we bring him in." She nodded at the picture on the wall. "He might be a bit put off at that."

Emma chuckled as she realised her wife had a point. "Nook is the wish version of Hook," Emma explained to Charming who looked very confused. "They're nothing alike personality wise, except for being a pirate. Nook, or Killi as he also goes by, actually had two hands as Rumple gave him his hand back. He doesn't wear guyliner and he's clean shaven. He also rarely wears black anymore. He's great though, I'm sure you'll get on well."

Charming looked hesitant before slowly nodding. "If you say he's good, then I'll believe you. But can you be there when we meet, just in case?"

Emma nodded. "Of course."

"I'm hungry," Lennie announcing, changing the subject.

"You're always hungry," Emma teased.

"She's your daughter, what do you expect?" Regina added with a smirk.

Charming stood up and started putting on his jacker. "Lunch on me? I'll call Kat and Abby to join. We can go to Granny's."

"No!" Emma cried before bringing her hand sup to her mouth. "I mean, yeah, sure."

Regina crossed the room and took hold of Emma's hands. "I'll kill him before he can enter," she promised before placing a soft kiss to Emma's forehead.

The blonde returned it by kissing Regina softly on her lips. "Okay."

Charming didn't ask what was going on. He knew when a couple was having a moment and didn't want to interrupt. Plus, he wasn't sure what they were talking about and he didn't want to presume in case he said the wrong thing. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to text Kathryn to meet them here.

"Mooooms!" Lennie cried.

With a roll of her eyes, Emma took a step back from her wife, but she was smiling as she turned to her daughter. "Fine. Let's go."

The group then made their way to the diner and when they arrived, they saw a very familiar face talking to Kathryn and Abby. Regina walked over to the brunette and smiled. Emma followed and slipped into the booth opposite her father, who had already sat beside Kat, and beside Lennie who had sat down and was already talking a full speed to Abby. Their girlish laughter already filling the room as Emma greeted Kathryn.

"Hey, fancy seeing you here," Regina joked to the waitress as she bumped their shoulders together. "How's it all going here?"

"Great," Tiana replied with a smile. "Granny is crazy but lovely."

"I heard that!" The aforementioned woman called across the room making Regina chuckle when Tiana's eyes widened.

"She has the ears of a wolf," Regina revealed. "She doesn't miss anything." She then applied the brakes to the pram and slipped into the booth beside her wife. "David, Kat, this is Tiana. She was a saving grace back in the Enchanted Forest and we needed somewhere to stay. She took us in and helped us."

"Oh please, you helped me!" Tiana contradicted. "I'd been trying to bring Cinderella down for years but was failing miserably.

"Hey!" Cried another voice.

The group turned and saw Ashley and her family sitting at a nearby table. "_I'm_ Cinderella and I've never seen you before in my life."

Tiana's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."

"This is another version of Cinderella," Emma explained. "Don't worry, Ash, she doesn't mean you." When the blonde Cinderella looked even more confused, Emma continued, "I'll tell you another time."

Ashley didn't look convinced but turned back to the table and picked up a baby that must have been in a carrier beside her. It seemed during the time Emma had been away, Ashley and Sean had had another baby. From looking at them, they couldn't be much older than Charlotte.

"Things take some getting used to," Emma said as she turned back to Tiana. "For example," she pointed to Charming, "this is my dad, David."

Tiana's jaw dropped. "How on earth?"

The adults at the table chuckled and turned to Regina.

"I cursed them," she revealed, slightly sheepishly. "Everything is fine now though. I mean, I married my enemy's daughter after all."

"Don't remind me," Charming muttered before grinning to show that he was joking.

Finally, Tiana smiled before picking up her pen and notepad. "I should probably get back to my job, what would you all like to drink?"

Everyone ordered their drinks, Charming and Emma choosing Root Beer, Kathryn and Regina going for peach iced tea and Abby settling for an orange juice. The unexpected came when it was Lennie's turn to order.

"Can I have an iced tea too please?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "You've never had it before in your life."

Lennie shrugged. "It sounds nice."

"Well how about we get you an orange juice and you can try your mom's?" Emma suggested. "Then if you don't like it, you still have something to drink."

"Okaaay," Lennie sighed before looking back at Tiana. "An orange juice please."

"Coming right up!" Tiana said after noting it all down and walking over to get the drinks made.

Charlotte then started to stir in her carrier and Regina gently pulled her out to calm her.

"Someone's getting bored," she commented. As soon as the baby was in her arms, she calmed down. Clearly she had just wanted some attention.

Charming then looked a little cautious before biting the bullet. "Would it be okay if I held her for a bit?"

Emma glanced at her wife, curious to what her reaction would be. She had been completely fine with the rest of their family taking turns to hold her. She had even allowed Victoria and Nook to have a cuddle.

To Emma's mild surprise, Regina nodded.

"Sure," Regina said with a smile before standing up and bringing Charlotte around to Charming. Gently, she placed her into his arms.

Once secure, Charming glanced down at her and he looked at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. Kathryn was also looking down at her with a soft smile on her face.

"She's perfect, Gina," she muttered before glancing back up at Lennie and Abby who were too preoccupied by their conversation of which animal was better. Lennie was adamant that it would be a penguin against a flamingo… "But how was she, umm, made?"

Charming's face tuned pale. "I don't think I need to hear how my daughter knocked up my former enemy over lunch, thanks."

Emma chuckled. "I agree with David. That isn't a conversation over lunch. We'll tell you later."

They were soon interrupted by Tiana bringing their drinks over before placing them down in front of each person. When she got to Lennie, she placed her orange juice down along with another small glass.

"So you can try it without taking your mom's," she explained when Lennie looked confused.

Cautiously, Lennie took hold of the small glass and took a sip. "Eww, that's disgusting."

Emma laughed. "Are you glad I said to get orange now?"

Lennie nodded as she took a sip of it to get rid of the taste.

"Are you ready to order?" Tiana asked after chuckling at Lennie's reaction.

"I'll have the Texan burger, Kat, the Caesar salad with chicken and Abby, the nuggets and carrot sticks," Charming said while Tiana noted them down before turning to Emma.

"Can I have–"

"Emma will have the turkey burger," Regina interrupted.

"Hey!" Emma cried with offence.

Regina raised her eyebrow. "You're not thirty anymore, Em, even if you still look it. You need to start eating healthily."

Emma crossed her arms and sulked. "Fine, I'll have the boring burger."

Ignoring her wife's behaviour, Regina continued ordering their meals, choosing to have the same as Kathryn for herself and ordering Lennie the same as Abby.

"But I wanted fries," Lennie sulked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "And a portion of fries for the table to share."

Tiana chuckled when Emma's eyes lit up with excitement and added it to the order before heading back over to the counter.

"She gets her eating habits from you," Regina murmured to Emma.

Emma didn't even look ashamed. She smiled proudly at her daughter.

"I don't know why you're laughing, David," Regina continued. "Emma has to have got it from somewhere."

Like his daughter, Charming smiled brightly with pride and offered Emma a high five which she accepted.

"Oh god, now there's four of them," Kat chuckled as she looked around the table where Lennie and Abby were giggling at their parents. "I'll never be free."

Charming wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple. "You love us."

"God knows why, but I do," she said and turned to him, kissing him sweetly.

It was the first time Emma had seen them kiss and she thought it would be weird, but it didn't. Seeing Charming and Kathryn together was oddly right.

Just before their food arrived, Charlotte started getting fussy in Charming's arms. Regina started to reach for her but Charming was ahead of her.

"Let's get you back to Mama," he muttered as he passed her over.

"She's hungry," Regina muttered.

Emma nodded and casted the discretion charm while Regina started feeding the baby.

Soon enough, Tiana returned bringing their lunches with them. Emma picked all the lettuce out of her burger, which Regina rolled her eyes at, but at least she ate it without any further complaints. Regina was too busy trying to eat and feed at the same time.

Once everyone started eating, the conversation became focussed on the food with Emma commenting that she'd missed the diner as there hadn't been an equivalent in Hyperion Heights. David then started asking her about the city and Wonderland.

Even Regina listened carefully when Emma started talking about Wonderland as it was a realm she'd never visited.

"It's completely different to what I expected," Emma said. "It's rather a lot like the Enchanted Forest but more open and a few less trees. It's a beautiful place and I don't regret living there for seven years."

"I liked the palace gardens," Lennie piped up when she'd finished her food. "There was a huge pond and a maze and Baron's area."

Emma tried not to roll her eyes at her daughter when she brought her beloved Bandersnatch up once more.

"It was just such a big area," Lennie continued. "We could play and hide from Auntie Zee and she wouldn't be able to find us. I think Grandma put an essection charm on the garden too."

"A what charm, dear?" Regina asked.

"An essection charm," Lennie repeated, unaware that the word she was using didn't exist. "To make certain parts bigger so that Baron had more room to play."

Emma turned to Regina. "An extension charm could work on the mansion garden," she murmured as she realised what Lennie actually meant.

"We can discuss it when we're home," Regina said quietly as they didn't want to get Lennie's hopes up just yet.

They were pulled out of their quiet conversation when Abby announced that she needed the toilet. Charming shuffled out of the booth to allow Abby and Kathryn to leave.

"I come too!" Lennie called and Emma and Regina shifted so that she could leave their side.

Once the three were out of the room, Charming leant over the table to speak quietly.

"I've been thinking–"

"Oh god help us," Emma said cutting him off with a smirk.

Charming rolled his eyes before continuing. "I want to propose to Kat and actual mean it this time. I want us to get married and become a proper family."

Regina's brow furrowed. "You're not engaged already?"

Charming shook his head. "No, we've been avoiding it because we didn't want to get married without you here to witness, Em. You're my daughter and it didn't feel right getting married without you."

Emma smiled softly. "It didn't feel right getting married without you, but we still managed it, David. What's really going on?"

In that moment, Regina realised how well Emma could really read people. She had realised what was going on when Lennie was on the monkey bars earlier and now, she could see through what David was saying. Both time, Regina hadn't been aware that there was anything more going on.

Charming bit his lip and sighed. "Snow has threatened to curse Abby if we get married."

"What!" Emma cried so loudly the entire room turned to her. "Sorry!" She added and everyone returned to their own meals and conversations. Emma turned back to her family but kept her voice lower. "But in all seriousness, what?"

"Exactly that," Charming said. "She would curse Abby if we got married."

"I won't let her touch her," Emma said adamantly. "She's my sister."

Charming flashed Emma a warm smile at hearing the words. He had been worried how she would take it, but he realised he shouldn't have done. His daughter was strong and had already been through a lot, of course she could handle this.

"Besides, if you want something quick, Rumple can do it," Emma said. "He officiated our wedding. Snow wouldn't dare interrupt that. She'd be out of her mind."

"There's only one issue," Charming muttered. "We need to go to the townhall for the marriage licence."

"I'll go with you," Emma said. "If she so much as speaks, I'll burn her."

Regina went to reprimand her wife, however, that was when Kathryn and the girls returned.

"You all look very serious," Kathryn said as she slipped into the booth beside Charming. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Regina said which Kathryn knew was code for she'd tell her later. "So how come you chose the name Abigail?" She asked to change the subject.

Despite being rather confused, Kathryn allowed the conversation swerve. "There were a few reasons actually."

"We wanted to honour our time in the Enchanted Forest," Charming said, taking over. "I mean, her middle name was easy. Emma's would have been Ruth if we'd been able to, umm, I won't go there."

Emma had raised her eyebrows at her father, watching him start to dig a hole. She chuckled when he quickly backtracked.

With a small cough, he looked at Kathryn to continue so that he didn't dig any more holes.

Kathryn chuckled as she rested her hand on his knee before continuing. "I don't feel like Abigail, the Princess, daughter of King Midas, anymore. My father died when I was pregnant, so we wanted to honour him too and he was the one to name me Abigail. It all seemed to fall into place. When we first saw her, we knew. She was Abigail."

"At least you were pretty settled on it. Regina rejected every name I suggested for Charlie at first," Emma said with a chuckle.

"I was not going to call our daughter Gertrude!" Regina scoffed.

"Gertie Swan-Mills sounds cute!" Emma defended.

"Over my dead body," Regina laughed.

"There was once a time I longed for that," Charming commented conversationally. "But now looking at you two together, I really couldn't imagine anything worse."

The moment hit them suddenly as everyone realise how much had changed over the years, but before anyone could comment on it, Lennie piped up once more.

"Can we have dessert?"


	57. Chapter 57

_A/N: Sorry for the missed update on Thursday. I currently have minor RSI, so typing is a little painful at the moment. So, apologies in advance if I don't keep up to schedule at the moment until the pain fades. I shall do my best to keep uploading at least once a week!_

_And without further ado, let's get back on with the story!_

Emma had heeded her daughter's wishes for dessert and ordered a strawberry sundae for the two of them to share. Regina had had a spoonful and deemed it enough sugar for the day. Instead, she ordered a decaffeinated coffee.

Kathryn had copied Emma's idea and ordered an ice cream for her and Abby to share, though the young girl seemed to be getting more of it around her mouth than in it. Charming had had to go back to work instead of staying for dessert. He threw down a couple of twenties and kissed both Kathryn and Abby's heads before putting on his jacket.

"Let me know when you want to introduce me to the new Hook," he said to Emma. He hesitated, unsure if he should give her a kiss on the head too but chose not to when she remained seated.

"Will do!" Emma replied. "I'll let you know when I'll be back soon too."

Charming smiled brightly before leaving the diner. The others stayed there until they finished their dessert before deciding it was time to leave. Regina and Kathryn arranged for the new Charmings to come over for dinner within the next week before Kathryn and Abby left the diner.

With the dessert finished, Emma and Regina decided to stroll back to the mansion to work off their food. Their route took them down Maine Street and past Archie's office. It was one of the few places on the street that still looked exactly the same as it had before Emma had left.

Emma paused outside to check the office hours and saw that he was currently inside.

"I'm just going to pop in for a second," she muttered. She didn't wait for Regina's response before she opened the door and entered.

The office was silent, which wasn't unusual, and still looked the exact same way with eighty's décor. The walls were magnolia but covered in too many flowers for Emma's taste with deep mahogany furnishings. The place looked friendly enough but the dead flower in a pot on top of the cupboard didn't fill her with hope.

She followed the familiar route to Archie's office and leant towards the door to see if he was with anyone. Archie didn't have a receptionist; he didn't think he needed one. After gently knocking on the door, she waited for confirmation to enter and didn't have to wait long. Archie's familiar and friendly voice called her to enter.

"Emma!" He greeted with a large smile when he saw her. He placed his pen down from where he had been writing up some notes as he also didn't believe in technology and dictated all meetings. "I heard rumours you were back. How lovely to see you!"

Emma couldn't help but smile back. "I am indeed."

"How can I help?" He asked.

"I wondered if I could book an appointment," she requested. "Myself and my daughter in law to be would like a joint session at first so she can meet you. We both have things we need to discuss. Especially me with being back."

Archie picked up his diary and flicked over a few pages. "I can do Monday at two if you like? I don't get many requests."

Emma smiled and nodded. As it was Friday, it gave her a little time to prepare Ivy for how Archie led his sessions. "That's fine. I'll let Ivy know when I get home."

After Archie added their names into his diary, he placed the pen back down on the table. "Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Not that I can think of," Emma said. "I'll see you on Monday."

She then turned to leave, but just as she opened the door, Archie called her back.

"It's good to have you back, Emma," he said, but there was an underlying meaning in his tone that she couldn't quite work out. "We've needed you."

Unsure of how to respond, she simply nodded before turning once more and heading outside to where Regina was waiting with the girls.

"All done?" Regina asked after Emma pecked her in greeting and they started walking again with Lennie running ahead.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I've booked Ivy and I in for Monday afternoon." When Regina looked confused, Emma continued. "We decided we were going to go see him. Ivy for ways to help with what happened with Jacinda and me with, well, him."

Regina let go of the pram with one hand and reached over to take hold of Emma's.

"I'm here too," she promised.

"I know," Emma replied before lifting Regina's hand to kiss her knuckles softly. "Let's go home."

oOoOo

When they got in, they were greeted by a strangely quiet house. Emma placed her keys in the tray beside the door while Regina picked Charlotte out of the pram.

"Hen, V, we're home!" Emma called but they didn't get a response. Before Emma could question it, Lennie pulled focus.

"Can we watch a film?" She asked after she put her shoes away.

"Course we can, sweetie," Emma replied. "You go ahead and get choosing."

"Yay!" Lennie then ran into the living room to look through the extensive selection of DVDs though Emma was sure that her daughter would probably end up scrolling through Netflix instead.

"I wonder where Henry and co are," Regina muttered.

Just as she said that, the front door opened and the three walked through the door. All of them were grinning so widely that sheer happiness was radiating off of them.

"What's going on?" Regina asked.

Henry simply grinned wider. "I'll get some drinks and we'll meet you in the living room."

"I'll go change Charlotte and meet you in there," Regina said before walking upstairs.

"Lennie is in the living room if you want to join her," Emma said to Sophia who smiled and nodded before running into the room.

Once it was just Ivy and Emma in the foyer, the blonde simply raised her eyebrow. "So?"

Ivy chuckled. "We'll wait for Henry to officially tell you, he's so excited."

Emma nodded and went to reply but Lennie's voice cut her off.

"No, Sophia, I want to watch my film!"

"But we have to wait!" Sophia responded.

"I don't care!" Lennie snapped.

It was the first time that Emma had ever heard them argue, well argue may be a little strong, but at least have a dispute. Emma and Ivy quickly walked into the living room to see Sophia standing in front of the TV which showed the opening sequence to the Emperor's New Groove proving Emma had previously been wrong as her daughter had chosen a film from the DVD cupboard.

"What's going on?" Emma asked as she looked between her daughter and granddaughter.

"You said I could watch a film," Lennie replied. "But Sophia won't let me press play."

"Mommy?" Sophia looked at her mother. "Can we tell her?"

Ivy chuckled. "Not yet, sweetie. Wait for your other grandmother and father to arrive."

Sophia sighed and nodded before walking over to Emma. She motioned to be picked up which Emma allowed and she pulled her onto her hip before swaying slightly.

"How's my favourite granddaughter?" Emma asked.

"But Grandma–"

"Sophia!" Ivy interrupted.

"Drinks up!" Henry called as he entered, carrying a tray that held six mugs, each one containing hot chocolate, and Regina's pot of cinnamon. "I wasn't sure if Lennie had it. I know Ivy and Mom aren't a fan."

"She likes it," Emma confirmed. She adjusted Sophia in her arms so that she was secure in one arm before waving her now free hand over the shaker to dust a light amount over one of the cinnamon free mugs. "Len, come and get a hot chocolate."

Lennie skipped over and accepted the sweet drink, muttering her thanks to her brother before sitting back down on the sofa. "Can we pleeeease watch the film?"

"Soon, sis," Henry said.

At the nickname, Lennie grinned. "Okay, bro!"

"Right, I'm back," Regina announced as she walked into the living room wearing a different top to previously and Charlotte was in a different outfit. "Charlotte had a bit of an explosion that got everywhere."

She walked over and placed the baby in her box in the corner as she'd fallen asleep in between Regina changing her and bringing her downstairs before taking a seat next to Emma who had finally sat down beside Lennie with Sophia now sitting on her lap instead of being perched on her hip.

Emma chuckled quietly and kissed Regina on the cheek. "Rather you than me then."

"Yes, Mom's back," Lennie cheered as she picked up the remote. "Movie time!"

"Not yet," Henry said as he plucked the remote out of his sister's hand and paused the film once again. "We have some news we'd like to share first." He then turned to Ivy. "Do you want to say it or shall I?"

"If you're about to tell me you've found a house to move into, I'm not going to be happy," Regina warned.

"Actually, us moving out might be better, otherwise we'll have two babies in the house," Ivy said with a small grin.

Emma turned to Regina and she could see the cogs turning as she digested what Ivy said. Slowly, her eyes grew wide with excitement and she grinned.

"You're pregnant again?" She gasped and jumped off the sofa, pulling Ivy into her arms for a hug.

Ivy pulled back a nodded. "We just got back from the hospital to check and they confirmed it. I'm only four weeks gone so it's very early days, but we wanted to share it with you."

"I'm so excited for you," Regina said before she pulled her son in for a hug. "Both of you."

Emma then persuaded Sophia off of her lap so that she could join the others. In turn, she hugged both Ivy and Henry. "We're both excited for you."

"So, we really need to get wedding planning," Henry said. "We'd both like to be married before this baby comes."

Ivy bit her lip before turning to her mothers in law. "I haven't told my mother yet so if you could refrain from telling Zelena."

"We won't say a word," Emma said.

"So, can we watch the film now?" Lennie asked.

Henry laughed. "Course you can."

"Yay!"

Lennie then pressed play and became absorbed in the film, quoting half of the lines as she'd seen the film so many times.

"Let's celebrate and get pizza for dinner," Emma said.

Regina raised her eyebrow. "We ate out for lunch."

Emma stuck her tongue out at her wife. "Buzzkill. Let's go to Granny's on Sunday instead then. We can combine it with a celebratory meal for our wedding too, finally. We'll invite the all the family."

"I'm game with that," Henry said before turning to Ivy for her opinion.

"As long as we say it's for finally planning the wedding," Ivy added. She placed her hand on her perfectly flat tummy. "I don't want anyone else to know until I'm further along. God knows what could happen until then and I don't want to lose them."

Emma then reached out and gently placed her hand over Ivy's.

_I wish the baby is safe and the pregnancy goes smoothly_.

Once the wish was cast, a gentle glow surrounded Ivy's tummy showing that Emma's protection spell worked.

"They'll be absolutely fine," Emma assured them. "Now, Yzma is about to say the best lines ever!"

She turned to the screen just in time to hear the evil Yzma scream, "Pull the lever, Kronk! Wrong lever!" and without fail, both Emma and Lennie laughed loudly making Regina roll her eyes at their antics, but her heart filled with even more love than she thought was possible.

oOoOo

"You were right," Emma murmured as she cuddled Charlotte who was dozing in her arms in their bed later that evening.

Regina turned from the vanity where she'd been removing her makeup. She grinned. "I'm usually right, but what about this time?"

Emma chuckled, the movement slightly stirring Charlotte as her eyes fluttered open, but with a gentle sway, Emma managed to get her to drift back off without fully disturbing her.

"About getting out the house today," Emma said quietly before she slipped off the bed. Gently, she placed the baby in her cot before crossing the room to where Regina was now standing. She wrapped her arms around her wife's waist as Regina automatically wrapped her around Emma's neck. "I can do anything I put my mind to when I'm with you. You're the best wife ever."

Regina smiled before closing the gap between them and sealing their lips together, a gentle brush of their lips.

"I just showed you that you can do anything you put your mind to," Regina murmured as they pulled apart. She started playing with the hairs at the nape of Emma's neck and the blonde's eyes fluttered in satisfaction. "I'm your wife, it's my job."

"I love hearing you say that," Emma said as she kissed Regina again. "How do you feel about becoming a grandma again?"

Regina pulled back and smiled. "I'm thrilled for both of them." She then tilted her head as a thought hit her. "You didn't seem surprised thought?"

"Oh, umm, I…" Emma trailed off as she realised she couldn't figure out what to say to deny Regina's question.

"Did you know?" Regina asked.

"Maybe?"

Suddenly Emma was being hit with a flurry of pillows. "As if you didn't tell me!" Regina said, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Ivy asked me not to," Emma defended as she held up her hands in peace. "Plus, I kinda called her out on it a couple of days ago. I didn't give her a chance to deny it. It was their news to share."

"Still didn't tell me though," Regina muttered and pouted.

Emma chuckled as she closed the gap between them once more and rested her hands on Regina's waist. "I was doing as asked. Are you seriously upset with me?"

Regina continued to pout but Emma could see the corner of her lips quiver as she tried not to laugh. "Yes."

The blonde raised her eyebrow. "Oh really?" She flexed her fingers slightly as they rested over one of Regina's many tickle spots which made the brunette squirm.

"Don't you even think about tickling me, Emma Swan!"

"I think you'll find my name is actually Emma Swan-Mills, Regina Swan-Mills," Emma reminded her. "And I never brought up tickling, that was you." She flexed her fingers once more.

"Emma!" Regina warned but Emma ignored her as she curled her fingers on Regina's sides quicker.

Despite her warnings, Regina soon found herself giggling as she fought against Emma's tickles. She tried to pull back but ended up falling onto the bed. Using it to her advantage, Emma crawled onto the bed and straddled her wife. Regina looked up and realised she was trapped. Reaching up, she tried to push Emma off her of her, but she just pulled Regina's hands so that they were above her head.

With a flick of Emma's wrist, Regina's hands were bound by invisible restraints. Regina's eyes darkened with pure lust.

"Emma, don't you dare!"

Emma smirked with mirth and she flexed her fingers. She was just about to recommence her tickle attack on her wife before Regina's glanced towards the baby.

"Wait!" She called. "I don't want to wake her."

Emma nodded and waved her hands over Charlotte's crib so that she was in a soundproof dome. They would hear if she cried but she wouldn't hear them.

"Are you going to stop being upset with me about Ivy's pregnancy?" Emma asked.

Regina smirked, accepting the challenge that Emma was silently posing. "No."

"Oh, now you're asking for it!"

Emma brought her hands hand and started tickling her wife mercilessly. With Regina's hands restrained, there was nothing she could do but wriggle underneath her and giggle, gasping for breath.

"And now?" Emma asked, pausing for a brief moment for her wife to regain her breath.

"Nope."

The tickles recommenced until Regina slipped her legs open causing Emma to lose her balance. She threw her arms out last minute to stop herself from faceplanting on her wife. Looking up, she realised she was mere millimetres from Regina's lips and wasted no time in capturing them in a passionate kiss. She nibbled on Regina's lower lip before swiping her tongue across it.

"Release me," Regina husked. "Please!"

Emma waved her hand but didn't move away from kissing her wife. In seconds, Regina's hands weaved into her hair before pushing the blonde over, rolling so that she was on top of her. She pulled back for a second to pull off her tank top and unsnap her bra.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked as she realised where this was going.

Regina nodded. "Make love to me. I'm ready."

Emma's eyes flashed with desire as she pulled Regina back down. The second their lips touched, Emma rolled them back over so that she was once more resting on top of her wife. Pulling back, she took in Regina's messy hair pooling around her head and the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

With a flick of her wrist, Emma removed her clothes, leaving only her panties on. Regina's eyes darkened further as her wife undressed before her, but Emma didn't give her a chance to appreciate the sight before she closed the gap between them once more, kissing her soundly.

Slowly, Emma started kissing down Regina's jaw before her lips gently brushed the sensitive spot behind her ear. The touch was barely there but Regina's hips were already bucking up at the contact.

"More," she whispered.

Emma didn't action her request at first.

"Are you still upset with me about Ivy's pregnancy?" She asked again.

"No!" Regina gasped. "Please, Em. I need more!"

At the second request, Emma smirked before she pressed her lips more firmly over the spot and sucked twice, causing the brunette's hips to buck up once again. Emma smirked before moving her attention to Regina's ear. She nipped the lobe harshly before soothing over with her tongue, adoring the way Regina's breath hitched at the sensation.

Soon, her kisses trailing down her chest. Usually, she would spend ample time worshiping her breasts, but they were too sore for now. Instead, she pressed a gentle kiss to each before trailing her kisses down the centre of Regina's chest, swirling her tongue in Regina's belly button.

"Em!" Regina gasped at the sensation. Her hands were fisting the sheets beside her to stop her from pushing Emma's head into the direction she desired her most.

"I've got you," Emma whispered as she reached her covered prize.

Another flick of her wrist and Emma removed Regina's jeans and panties in one. Regina spread her legs for her wife and Emma started to salivate. The bare sex before her was dripping with desire.

"Is this all for me?" Emma asked as she gently reached out and swiped her forefinger through her wife's wetness, collecting it on her finger before brining it to her mouth. She sucked her finger and groaned at the taste. "You're delicious."

Regina moaned at the sight, her eyes shutting as she bit her lip. "It's all for you," she breathed.

"I should tickle you more often," Emma whispered breathily, ensuring to blow the extra air onto Regina's sex, loving the way her clit quivered against the coolness. She repeated her action to watch it again.

"Em!" Regina gasped. "Please. I need you."

They hadn't had sex since before Charlotte had been born despite how much Emma had craved her wife's touch and wanted to return the favour. Now finally, she didn't want to waste any further time as she closed the gap and wrapped her lips around Regina's clit and sucked gently.

Regina whimpered loudly and finally released the sheets to rest her hands on the back of Emma's head. She weaved her fingers through the long blonde locks and gently pulled, knowing Emma liked it. It was confirmed when the blonde moaned, the vibrations reverberating around Regina's clit, shooting desire around her body. Her skin tingled with sweat as Emma's mouth feasted on her.

Soon, the tip of two fingers started to tease her opening, barely slipping inside. Regina quickly realised that the blonde was hesitating, unsure if she would want to be penetrated. Slowly, she untwined her fingers in Emma's hair and reached down. She took hold of Emma's hand and pulled it, easing the two fingers slowly inside her.

Emma pulled back to admire the scene before her, watching the way Regina controlled her hand, pulling the fingers inside and back out, gradually speeding up. Leaning forward, Emma pressed a kiss to Regina's hand, indicating that she could stop the movements. The brunette let go and allowed Emma to take over control. She continued to gradually increase the speed before recommencing her attention on Regina's clit.

The double stimulation was starting to drive the brunette wild as her cries started to grow. Her walls started to flutter around Emma's fingers and Emma realised that she was getting close, so she redoubled her efforts on her clit, licking in time with her thrusts. As Regina's pants grew, Emma changed her tactic and curled her fingers against her front wall as she sucked hard.

"Emma!" Regina screamed as she reached her climax. Her eyes shut and she saw stars behind her lids as pleasure took over her entire body, causing her to shiver.

Emma continued the movements, allowing her wife to ride out her orgasm, drinking down her come, before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her mound and kissing her way back up Regina's body. By the time she reached Regina's head, she'd opened her eyes. They were already dark but now they were black. She pulled Emma's head down and crashed their lips together.

With strength that Emma thought she'd fucked out of her, Regina rolled them over and started kissing and licking down Emma's body, any part she could find. She nipped beneath her left breast before suckling her right nipple. She licked down her right-side making Emma sigh before nipping her earlobe.

"Gin!" Emma gasped at the random sensation. She couldn't get use to anything which kept her on edge.

The moment Regina wrapped her lips around Emma's left nipple, she flicked her wrist to remove Emma's panties before she reached down and nudged her wife's legs further open, allowing Regina to settle between her legs. Regina added her teeth, grazing them against Emma's nipple at the same time that she brought two fingers to her clit, barely brushing against it.

The two contradicting sensations with the harshness of her teeth against her breast and the gentleness against her clit was heightening Emma's arousal. It shouldn't have worked but she also didn't want it to stop.

The pressure on her clit started to build as Regina started to press harder and Emma knew she was going to climax embarrassingly quickly. When Regina released her nipple with a pop, she looked up and grinned when she saw her wife. Emma's eyes were snapped shut and her lip was between her pearly teeth as she refrained from crying out.

With an idea, Regina removed her hand from Emma's clit. The blonde's eyes snapped open and she released her lip in shock at the sudden neglect. Before Emma could complain, Regina close the gap once more and kissed her soundly, her tongue brushing against Emma's at the same time two fingers entered the blonde, slipping in deeply with how wet she was. Her fingers brushed her front wall and Emma found herself climaxing in seconds.

Regina swallowed her orgasmic cries and continued pumping, gently slowing to allow Emma to ride out her climax. When Emma started to calm down, she shifted her lips to Emma's neck and started nibbling on her pulse point as her fingers sped up once again.

"Ginny!" Emma gasped as her second climax hit her barely a minute after her first had finished.

This time, Regina slipped her fingers out when Emma's climax faded. She brought them up to her mouth and licked her wife off of her fingers.

"God, you're delicious," Regina groaned before swiping her finger through again for another sample.

"Let me taste?" Emma requested and Regina's eyes flashed with desire. She swiped her finger through Emma's come once again, purposefully missing her clit, before bringing her finger to Emma's mouth.

Emma licked her come off her wife's finger and grinned. "I am pretty delicious," she agreed. "But you're tastier. Now, sit on my face; I'm not done with you yet."

Regina grinned and quickly repositioned herself, ready for round two.


	58. Chapter 58

When Emma and Regina entered the kitchen the next morning, they saw Ivy sitting at the breakfast table with Lennie and Sophia on either side of her. All three had a slice of toast before them with a heap of far too much Nutella for Regina's liking. Henry was standing by the kettle, getting some drinks together. When he saw his mothers enter, the mug he had been holding fumbled out of his hand and dropped to the ground.

Regina's brow furrowed as she walked over to Lennie to greet her good morning and sit down so she could feed Charlotte. She looked over to her son who had picked the fallen mug up. Fortunately, it hadn't broken. "Is everything alright, Henry?"

Henry nodded. "Yep, everything is great. Why wouldn't it be?" He asked, his voice tight, before he turned away from his mother and busied himself with making the drinks. "Tea?" He didn't wait for an answer before he pulled Emma and Regina's usual mugs from the cupboard and added a tea bag into each.

Emma glanced at her wife, sharing a look of confusion. She crossed the room to the toaster and placed two slices of bread in before walking towards Ivy.

"Do you know what's going on?" She asked.

Ivy's eyes flickered towards Henry who was now hiding in the fridge as he searched for the milk, clearly pretending to not listen into the conversation going on around him.

"Umm, I'm not sure how to phrase it," Ivy muttered as she tried to find the words. "We may have heard your conversation last night," she eventually settled on.

Emma's brows furrowed in confusion. "What conversation?"

However, Regina read between the lines and gasped. "Oh god!" Her face flushed red in embarrassment but Emma was still a little lost.

"What conversation?" She repeated.

Regina looked at her wife and nodded upwards. "Our _private_ conversation last night," she said hoping that Emma would catch her drift. "Late last night."

Emma's eyes widened as it finally clicked before she laughed. "You heard us having-" she cut herself off when Lennie and Sophia looked up from their breakfast plates. "Sorry!" She settled on instead. "I did cast a sound charm on Charlie, but I didn't think–"

"Teas up!" Henry interrupted as he placed the beverages in front of his mothers. "Let's forget about it all, shall we?"

"What's going on?" Lennie asked as she looked between her parents and her brother.

"Nothing for nosies," Emma replied as she bopped her daughter on the nose before crossing the room to finish off hers and Regina's breakfasts.

Henry sat beside Ivy and started sipping on his coffee before stealing a bite of her toast despite already eaten his own breakfast.

Once Emma finished spreading the jam over their toast, she headed back over and placed Regina's plate before her and finally sat down to enjoy her own breakfast.

"Well it's not like you two don't do the same," Emma added after a mouthful, deciding she wanted to further Henry's embarrassment as any good parents would. "I mean, how else would we be getting another grandchild?"

Ivy, who had been taking a sip on her tea, started to choke. "I, umm, what?" She spluttered.

"Exactly," Emma said with a laugh, waving her toast at them. "Two can play at that game."

"But at least I don't bring it downstairs with me," Ivy muttered as she recovered from her embarrassment.

"What?" Emma asked, completely confused as to what she meant.

Ivy chuckled and pointed to her neck. Emma walked over to the microwave to look at herself in the reflection. Her mind was thrown back to her second, of many, orgasm where Regina had nibbled on her neck. The deep bruise was shining brightly against her pale skin. Finally, she flushed red with embarrassment and rested her hand over the love mark and healed it.

"Anyway, what shall we do today until we go to Granny's?" She asked to change the conversation as Ivy was back to snickering and Henry was still far too embarrassed to speak. She sat back down and finished the last few mouthfuls of her toast.

"We could go get Baron?" Lennie suggested who had been talking quietly to Sophia while the parents had been having their 'adult conversation' as she had deemed it.

Emma pondered it for a moment. "We can't bring him back here yet," she said slowly. "But I don't see why we can't go see him?" She looked at her wife. "What do you say? Family trip to Wonderland? Rumple has enough magic beans to get us there and back. You said so yourself."

Lennie looked at her brunette mother with the widest of eyes as she tried not to get too excited at the prospect of seeing her beloved pet.

"I don't see why not," Regina agreed.

As soon as she said it, Lennie's eyes lit up brightly with excitement. "YAY!" She cheered. "Can we ask Grandma to come too?"

"I'll call her now," Emma said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

So, barely half an hour later, all the Swan-Mills' were standing in the back garden along with Cora who was holding one of Rumple's magic beans with another firmly tucked into her back pocket for their return journey.

Zelena and the others had been invited but they already had plans for the day, which Emma hadn't asked about when she heard the tone of her sister's voice. From what she understood, Zelena and Victoria didn't spend much time outside the bedroom now they didn't have anything to worry about. Robyn and Alice had plans with Rumple. Emma wasn't sure what they were, but she vaguely remembered the library being mentioned.

"Ready?" Cora asked as she looked around the group.

Lennie ran over to her grandmother and took her hand. "Yes."

Cora threw the bean in front of them and waited for the flames to grow wide enough to work. She glanced at Lennie who was almost shaking with excitement before the two stepped through. Ivy and Henry followed with the latter carrying Sophia before Emma pushed Charlotte's pram through with Regina by her side.

Once the familiar prickle of the portal hitting her skin finished, Emma looked around. Wonderland was exactly like she remembered, if not better.

"This place is beautiful," Ivy gasped as she looked around.

They were standing in the castle grounds which looked like they were still being looked after. The trees were blossoming and beautifully green. The sun was shining brightly for the mid-spring day and the breeze was light, blowing gently through the trees.

Lennie had already let go of her grandmother's hand and was running forward to the centre of the garden. "Baron!" She yelled as she looked around, waiting to hear the familiar pounding of his feet on the grass. When it didn't seem like he was coming, her eyes started to water in fear. "BARON!" She screamed.

Emma recognised the fear in her daughter's voice and rushed forward. Lennie fell into her mother's arms and sobbed.

"He's not here!"

"I'm sure he is somewhere, monkey," Emma assured her despite not being sure herself.

Then suddenly, there was a rustle in the far bushes and a familiar face popped out before he was followed by two others.

"Lennie, look," Emma murmured.

Lennie pulled back from her mother and turned to the direction she was pointing to.

"Baron!" Lennie called happily as she took off.

Baron escaped the bushes before bounding towards the younger blonde, his eyes wide with excitement. The two met in the middle and Lennie threw her arms around him tightly.

"I've missed you!" She cried as she tickled him behind his ears. "No, I've missed you more!" She insisted.

Henry glanced at his mother as he had carried Sophia over to the middle to join Emma. It was the first time he'd witnessed Lennie's skill with animals.

"Who are the others?" Lennie asked Baron as she glanced to where the two other Bandersnatches were hovering. "You have a wife and child?" Lennie looked up at them and smiled warmly. "Hi, I'm Elena!"

Baron turned to his family and grunted. Whatever he said was clearly a request to join as the two slowly walked over.

"You are beautiful!" Lennie muttered as she saw them. Baron's partner was a fraction smaller than him, but their child was the size of a golden retriever with slightly darker fur.

"Daddy, I want to say hi!" Sophia said as she struggled to be let down.

Henry, however, didn't let her go. "Is it safe?" He asked his mother.

Emma raised her eyebrow at her son. "Do you really think I'd let Lennie anywhere near him if it wasn't?"

"Touché," he muttered before finally letting Sophia down. She ran over to Lennie who was quickly introducing her niece to Baron, Belinda and Barny. Emma faintly heard Lennie say that the names were provided by Baron, she hadn't named them.

Soon enough, Cora, Ivy and Regina were making their way over to the others.

"I don't think I've ever seen Lennie this happy," Regina murmured as she watched her eldest daughter and granddaughter playing chase with Barny, with Baron and Belinda watching on. She turned to Emma and raised her eyebrow. "You do realise she'll want all of them to come to Storybrooke now, don't you?"

"Oh yeah," Emma said.

"I've been thinking–" Cora began.

"Did it hurt?" Emma teased leading to Cora hitting her shoulder. The blonde just laughed louder.

"Shush, you," she said before continuing. "Rumple's house is on the outskirts of Storybrooke and he owns a large portion of land, not dissimilar to the size here but without the maze."

Understanding what her mother was getting at, Emma raised her eyebrows. "Do you really think he'd allow them to move in? You said he tried to kill Baron last time."

Cora chuckled. "I've never seen him so frightened in my life." She then sobered. "He'll let them live there. I'm his partner. He'll do what I say. Just give me time."

Emma laughed. "Just don't tell her yet," she requested. "I don't want to get her hopes up." She then turned to Regina. "Shall I give you a tour?"

"Sure," Regina said and the two started walking around the castle gardens with Charlotte, making sure to keep an eye on Lennie and her new friends as they walked.

The group spent the next couple of hours in Wonderland, but they stuck to Cora's castle in case there was anyone outside who could cause trouble. There was a high possibility that the Red Knight would have tried to retake the throne, but he couldn't get into the castle grounds from her many protection and repellent charms.

Lennie was loving life and eventually introduced everyone to the Bandersnatches. Emma even gave Baron a tickle behind his ear and he licked her face which made her smile but Regina wince.

However, as it reached lunchtime, it was time for them to leave. There was no food at the castle as there were no inhabitants which meant they had to come home. Lennie cuddled Baron tightly and promised to see him soon.

"No, it won't be as long this time," she promised. "My moms said you can move closer to me, if you want?" Her voice wavered as she waited for him to confirm. She hadn't thought until then that he may not want to leave Wonderland. However, he then grunted and Lennie grinned. "You do want to? Yay!"

She gave him one final hug and kissed his nose before running over to her mothers, ready to go home.

Cora threw the bean down on the floor and the group walked through the portal, retuning back to the backyard of the mansion.

"I miss him already," Lennie muttered with a wistful sigh. "I love Wonderland. I wish there was a way to see him more easily than with magic beans."

Regina's brow furrowed as she heard what her daughter said, but clearly Lennie was speaking rhetorically as she wasn't looking for a response. Instead she linked arms with Sophia and the two walked ahead towards the house. Henry followed his daughter and sister to let them into the house, but the others stayed back.

"Would it be possible?" Ivy asked. "What Lennie suggested? A way to travel without beans?"

"I'm not sure," Regina replied as she looked at her mother, hoping she could shed some light on it.

"Well there's clearly a way to curse people to a new land," Cora said as she thought about it. "So there's a foundation there. Do you mean a way to connect Realms so you could just walk from one to another?"

Ivy shrugged. "I was just following on from what Lennie said. It would be nice to go back to the Enchanted Forest sometimes so Soph can see where she comes from and any future children could see where their parents met."

Emma and Regina made sure not to look at each other at that moment in case Cora read their expression. She could read Emma like a book and would know something was up and the blonde was refusing to become like Snow and blab people's secrets.

"We'll get thinking," Cora decided. Thankfully she hadn't thought anything of what Ivy had said about children. "There has to be a way, but for now, I'm hungry."

And with that, she walked towards the house and into the backdoor.

"Me too," Emma said and she followed her mother.

Just as she left, Charlotte started to whimper from her pram and Regina understood the cry. "And so is Charlotte, apparently."

"Like mothers and daughters," Ivy muttered with a chuckled before she and Regina followed the others into the house with Charlotte.

oOoOo

After lunch, Cora headed off but promise to join them at Granny's later on and would bring Rumple along as requested. The rest of them had an afternoon of boardgames.

They started off with Monopoly with Sophia teaming up with her mother. Regina offered to team up with Lennie, but she scoffed and said she could play on her own. She did mostly, but she did have a bit of help from her mothers whenever it came to a particular investment.

However, it wasn't particularly surprising that two hours later, Regina was victorious as she had at least three hotels and owned a fair portion of the board and bled everyone dry. Emma had lost early on in the game as she spent rather a lot of time in prison.

"A familiar view for you there, Em," Regina teased and winked to show she wasn't being malicious.

Emma just laughed and stuck her tongue out and took to watching the game afterwards. Lennie followed suite after a couple of rounds as she landed on Regina's hotels one after another. When she started to get annoyed, Emma raised her eyebrow at her daughter.

"You can't win them all, Len," she reminded her. "Let's get some cocoa while the others fight it out."

She nodded and calmed down with the distraction. As they returned with the tray of beverages, she saw Ivy counting up her money and Regina smirking.

"I'm out," she sighed as she gave Regina everything she owed.

The last ten minutes were a case of waiting for Henry to go bankrupt. Despite owning a hotel and some houses of his own, he didn't have anywhere near the amount of money as Regina who was just going around the board easily.

"I will beat you one day," Henry chuckled as he handed over the last of his money after he landed on Regina's final hotel.

"Keep dreaming, son," she replied with a smile.

Lennie suggested afterwards that they should have a chess tournament. Ivy withdrew herself immediately as she wasn't very good and preferred to watch.

"I'm in," Emma said. "We can set up two boards and play side by side and then the winner can buy us all dinner later," she joked.

However, Lennie's brow furrowed. "But I don't have any money for when I win."

Henry started to laugh until he realised that his sister was being serious. "We'd better make sure that we don't allow that then!"

"So, Sophia, you can choose who plays who," Emma said to her granddaughter.

Sophia considered it for a moment. "I think Daddy should play Grandma," pointing to Emma, "and Grandma," now pointing to Regina, "should play Lennie."

Emma glanced at Henry and smirked. "You're on."

Henry raised her eyebrow at the challenge and stretched. "Ready to lose?"

"Oh please," Emma scoffed. "You'll go crying to Mommy once you lose… oh wait, that's me. You're going down, Kid."

Regina and Ivy shook their heads at the two before the former waved her hand and set up two identical chess boards and the games got on the way.

Despite his pregame talk, Henry was realising that Emma was much better at chess than he thought she would be. She was outsmarting everything single move he made and he soon lost his Rooks and Knights along with a Bishop, not to mention the majority of his pawns.

"You were saying, Kid?" Emma teased.

In his concentration, Henry didn't respond. He just kept his eyes on the board but was to no avail. Three moves later and Emma sat back from the board with a smirk.

"Checkmate."

Henry laughed. "Fair game."

They glanced over to Regina and Lennie's game which was much more even. They both seemed to be losing the same amount of pawns and where Lennie had two Rooks and a Knight, Regina still had her Knights but was missing a Rook. The two were playing quickly but thoroughly.

"Check!" Lennie cried as she placed her Bishop diagonally to Regina's King. The move was quickly blocked by Reinga's remaining Rook and the game continued.

It took another fifteen minutes before Lennie managed to take Regina's Queen which had accidentally, and somewhat ironically, been left unattended. Lennie smirked as she moved her Knight, trapping Regina's King in the corner.

"Checkmate!" She cheered.

Regina leant back with a chuckle. "I'm very impressed there. You played really well."

Lennie grinned. "Thanks!" She then turned to Emma. "Ready?"

Emma glanced up at the clock on the mantelpiece and saw that it was getting late. "I'd love to, but it's time for dinner at Granny's."

Lennie frowned. "But how do we decide who pays for the food?"

"I think I can cover that, monkey," Emma said with a laugh and bopped her nose. "Now go get your shoes on."

Along with Sophia, Lennie ran into the hall as Regina picked up Charlotte so that she could place her into her pram in the hall.

"I didn't even let her win," Regina commented.

Emma laughed. "We played a lot in Wonderland," she revealed. "I had to keep her entertained in between magic lessons and tutoring. There was limited TV."

"You did great," Regina said before pecking Emma on her lips.

"Moms!" Lennie called.

"Being bossed around by my own daughter," Emma said with a laugh. "She definitely gets that from you."

Regina simply winked before walking ahead of the blonde.

Once everyone had their shoes on, they set off to Granny's. Lennie and Sophia were racing each other. Well Sophia was running and Lennie was skipping to make it a little fairer. Ivy spent most of the walk warning them not to go too fast while Henry chatted with his mothers.

Soon enough, Henry was helping Emma lift Charlotte's pram into Granny's where they saw Zelena charming a group of tables so that there were enough together for the family to join as there was a large amount of people who were going to be there.

Sophia grinned when she saw her other grandmother and immediately ran over to Victoria with Ivy following her. The two embraced warmly which was now a common occurrence. With everything that had happened during the fight with Jacinda, the two had grown closer.

Cora was standing with Rumple beside her eldest, deciding to allow her to exert all of her magic as they chatted to Robyn, Alice and Nook.

With a satisfied cheer, Zelena stepped back from the tables which were now in a row.

"Everyone, take a seat," she instructed and everyone slowly made their way over.

Rumple sat at the head, which wasn't unexpected, and Cora and Nook took the seats beside him. Next to them were Robyn beside her grandmother with Alice beside her father. Much to Emma's chagrin, Zelena sat beside her daughter which left the seat beside where she was sitting open for Victoria to sit. Emma looked around to see that the only free space was beside her. The two got on better but they still weren't be best of friends.

"Vicky," she greeted.

"Emma," she replied with a sigh. She still hated the nickname but had long accepted that Emma wouldn't call her anything different. Yet as she glanced at Zelena, she knew her relationship was worth the name.

Emma was just glad that she had her wife beside her. Regina had set the pram up behind her where Charlotte was still napping. Henry sat beside Alice with Ivy beside him who was sitting next to her daughter. Though Emma was sure it was so that she couldn't blab about the pregnancy while Ivy was there. Lennie then sat beside her niece and opposite Regina.

Looking up the and down the table, Emma realised they were missing people who had been invited. However, just as the thought passed through her mind, the door opened and Charming and his family walked in.

"Sorry we're late," he said with a sheepish grin.

Regina raised her eyebrow. "Now where have I heard a similar line to that before?"

Charming laughed. "Let me think? Oh yes, my wedding day when you threatened my happiness. Good times."

Regina joined in his laughter. It really was bizarre that they could joke about these things now. He then sighed as he took a seat at the end of the table where Kat sat beside Regina and Abby sat beside Lennie. Immediately, the three girls were engaged in a conversation as Lennie told her auntie about her visit to Wonderland and about Baron.

As Emma looked at them, it baffled her that they were so similar in age with Abby being five, Lennie, eight and Sophia, four, but they were technically three different generations. Shaking her head, she turned back to her father.

"Introductions need to be made," she realised before standing up to get everyone's attention. "For those of you who don't know, this is my dad, David, his partner Kat and my sister, Abby. Guys," she then tried to spot people she realised they didn't know, "this is Victoria, Ivy's mother. David, you remember Robyn?" She ignored his gasp when he recognised the once young girl he had to pull his son off years ago. "Her fiancée, Alice, across from her and then there's Killi at the end, Alice's dad."

Charming's eyes widened as he saw the other version of the pirate. He was used to seeing a dirty man dressed a black, but this one was clean with barely any facial hair. Gone was the eyeliner and the piercings and he was also wearing a light blue polo shirt and jeans which was also completely opposite.

"Now all the introductions have been made," Emma said, "let the celebrations commence."

She then retook her seat and allowed Tiana to start taking their drink orders. When they had agreed to go to Granny's, Regina had called ahead and arranged for a buffet style meal to be served to make it easier on Granny for such a large booking.

Emma glanced between her wife and father. "I just hope we don't get any unwelcome intruders."

Just as she spoke the words, the bell above the diner entrance rang and the door opened. Emma and Charming both looked up and waited with bated breath to see who would enter.

A second later, the newcomer stepped through the door and a familiar face it was, just not one to be threatened by.

Archie walked through the door and headed straight to the counter to picked up the takeout bag clearly waiting for him. At the sight of the therapist, they relaxed and Charming chuckled.

"Back in the day, that sentence would have been the start of something," he murmured. "Perhaps our luck is looking up?"

Emma raised her eyebrow at him and laughed gently. "Don't jinx it, David."


	59. Chapter 59

Despite Emma's worry that the meal would be jinxed, nothing happened until the very end of the evening. For what seemed like the first time in Storybrooke history, they were able to enjoy their meal in peace. There was laugher and stories shared amongst everyone and the girls in the corner were giggling to their hearts' content. It was a wonderful evening.

After they had finished eating, which had been a mixture of sandwiches, dips and crisps, Henry rose and tapped the side of his glass like he'd seen in many movies.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" He requested and the chatter around him started to quieten down. "I would like to say a toast to my wonderful mothers in celebration of their recent marriage and the reason we're gathered here this afternoon. As most of you know, the two didn't get on very well at the start. Well, not at all, should I say." The table let out a quiet chuckle, even those who hadn't known the two then but had heard all of the stories joined in. "But then things started to change and I noticed the secret smiles they'd share that they thought no one would see or the private jokes they knew that no one else understood. What they didn't notice is that I saw everything."

Emma and Regina offered each other a small smile, their eyes full of love so powerful that everyone around the table didn't just see it, they could feel it. Simultaneously, they took hold of the other's hand and their fingers laced together.

"Part of the reason I left to go travelling was so that they would have more time together without me there," Henry continued. "Little did I know that I would get into trouble and get captured by the woman who is not only my soon-to-be mother in law, but also now my aunt's girlfriend."

Zelena and Victoria glanced at each other and chuckled quietly before Henry continued.

"All I ever wanted was for the two of you to be happy," Henry said, "And now you are. I have the most wonderful sister," he glanced at Lennie and smiled when she beamed at him, "and I can't wait to watch Charlie grow. Moms, you're the best parents a guy could wish for and I only hope I can be the same for Sophia and any others that come along." He looked at Ivy and shared a soft smile. "Mom, Ma, they say you don't marry the person you can live with, you marry the person you can't live without. That sums you both up perfectly. Now I ask you all to join me as I raise my glass," he lifted his glass of champagne that Tiana had brought out at the start of his speech. "To the happy couple."

"To the happy couple!" Everyone echoed as they raised their glasses before taking a sip.

Once the toast was over, everyone started to make their way home. As Nook walked towards the door behind Alice, Emma quickly called him over.

"Killi!"

He turned, looking a fraction puzzled, before walking over. "What's up?"

"I have a job for you now that you're here," she said and turned to her father. "As I said, this is my dad, David. He's currently the Sheriff here."

"Before Em takes back over," Charming interrupted.

Emma rolled her eyes but chuckled. "Yes, before I take back over. However, we wondered if you would like to join too. Storybook life isn't as busy as Hyperion Heights from what I saw, but it still warrants a police department. What do you say, want to join?"

Nook didn't even ponder the question before nodding. "I'd love to. I've been a little bored these past couple of weeks at Zelena's if I'm honest."

"Then it's time for you to be bored at the station instead then," David chuckled as he reached out his hand. The pirate grasped it with a firm shake. "Welcome to the team. You start on Monday."

"I'll see you then," Nook said with a smile before he walked away to where Alice was waiting for him. He wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders who automatically leant into the embrace and the two walked out of the diner.

"We'd better be getting off too," Charming murmured as he picked up a tired looking Abby, "and I'll see you on Monday afternoon to get the marriage certificate?"

Emma nodded. "I'll be there around twelve thirty," she promised just as Charlotte started to whimper. As Regina was currently in the bathroom with Lennie, Emma picked the baby out of the pram and cuddle her close with a slight sway of her body to calm her. "I'll make sure Snow doesn't get close."

Charming chuckled. "You don't look so menacing with an adorable baby in your arms."

"She's just too cute," Emma agreed as she pressed a kiss to Charlotte's head.

"And Regina will be okay looking after Abby?" Charing asked.

"Yep," Emma confirmed. "I'll see you and Kat on Monday."

With a smile, Charming bid goodbye and joined Kathryn at the door who had been talking to someone from work. She waved at Emma before holding the door open for Charming to carry Abby out the diner.

At this point, there were only Emma, Zelena and Victoria left of their party. Henry and his family had already started walking to the mansion as Sophia, and secretly Ivy, was getting a little tired. Similarly to Abby, Sophia was being carried by her father as she was too tired to walk.

Robyn had left with Alice and her father and Cora and Rumple had also made their excuses. With the way they were looking at each other, Emma didn't want to question anything and had allowed them to leave.

"Successful night," Zelena commented as she and Victoria headed over.

Emma smile and nodded. "Yeah, I was expecting something to go down, you know how it happens whenever we try to celebrate something positive, but nothing–"

The blonde was interrupted by the bell above the door chiming once more and this time, the person who entered, while still familiar, was definitely unwelcome. She was blonde and slim and walked with an air surrounding her that she was better than everyone else. Her green eyes flashed the colour of fire when she took in who was in front of her.

"Zee, whatever you do, don't turn around," Emma warned. She tried to keep her voice low so that she didn't wake up the baby.

Naturally, Zelena didn't listen. She spun on her heel so that she was facing the door. Thinking quickly, Emma waved her hand over Charlotte so that whatever was about to go down didn't wake her up.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Zelena demanded loudly, making Emma thankful that she'd cast the charm over her baby.

Victoria glanced between the newcomer and her girlfriend. It didn't take her long to realise who she was.

Maleficent took three careful steps towards the three looking stern but it faltered slightly when she saw the sleeping baby in Emma's arms. She swallowed and turned to Zelena. "I think the better question is what are you doing back?"

Zelena scoffed. "I came back to be with my family. Not that you would know anything about that."

Maleficent raised her eyebrow. "I have a daughter and a partner. I know about family."

"Mal!" Cried another voice before anyone could question her partner.

Emma didn't need to turn to know who was talking; she could recognise her wife's voice in a crowd.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked once she joined the group. She walked forward and hugged the dragon warmly which made Emma feel rather uncomfortable knowing about their pasts.

"I live here, remember?" Maleficent replied, now completely ignoring the others but Zelena wasn't having it.

"You weren't here!" She snapped. "I came to find you because I _missed_ you! Yet you fucked me over again."

"Auntie Zee, you said a bad word!" Lennie gasped.

"Len, not now," Emma muttered quietly. At the tone of her mother's voice, Lennie nodded and bit her lip to stay quiet.

"What did I ever do wrong?" Zelena continued as if she hadn't heard Lennie's interjection. "All I did was love you!"

Now it was Maleficent who scoffed. "You left."

Zelena's jaw dropped in shocked. "You disappeared first!"

"But I came back!" The dragon snapped. "Because I realised that I loved you! And when I went to tell you, you told me you were leaving!"

"You charmed your necklace to detect her," Emma said, her voice low. "That isn't what someone would do to show that they loved someone."

"Emma, don't," Regina cautioned but the blondes ignored her.

"And what would you know about love?" Maleficent asked.

Emma raised her eyebrow and glanced around her. "Umm my kids and my wife?"

At that moment, Regina stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Emma's waist and caressed Charlotte's head as Lennie came to stand in front of her mothers.

"Mal, Emma and I are married," Regina revealed.

Emma smiled at her wife before looking back at the dragon, unable to keep the smugness down. "This is what I know about love. Beat that."

Maleficent simply smirked and, much to the other's surprise, accepted the challenge. She turned and smiled when she saw who she was looking for. "Eugenia."

Emma let out a strangled noise as Granny walked over. Despite all her years of knowing the woman, she'd never known her first name and this was definitely not the way she wanted to find it out.

"What's going on?" Granny asked as she stopped just beside the dragon. "Mally?"

At the nickname, Regina raised her eyebrow. She knew only a select few could call the dragon that and it seemed Zelena was on the same page.

The witch took two slow steps toward the dragon. "Fuck you, Maleficent." She then took hold of Victoria's hand and flicked her wrist before she could say anything. They disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

"Moms, what's going on?" Lennie asked as she looked up at her parents. "I don't understand."

"I'll join you there, Kid," Granny added. "What on earth is happening?

Maleficent shut her eyes for a second before looking at the people in front of her. "Eugenia and I are together."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know. I don't get how."

Granny smiled softly as she took hold of Maleficent's hand. "Storybrooke isn't what you left behind. It doesn't matter how we got together. What matters is that we are together and happy."

Despite the moving sentiment, Emma didn't buy it.

"Bullshit," she muttered.

"Excuse me?" Granny said, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Don't get me wrong, Granny, I'm happy for you," Emma clarified before turning to the dragon. "But let me just say this, after everything you put Zelena through, if I didn't have one of my daughters in my arms and the other standing in front of me, you'd be toast."

"Emma!" Regina gasped.

"No, Ginny," Emma said sharply before she waved her hand towards Charlotte's pram. It flew towards them and stopped before Emma so that she could place Charlotte in gently. "It's time to go home."

She didn't wait for a response. Instead, she took hold of Lennie's and started pushing Charlotte's pram towards the door. The young blonde didn't question her mother's behaviour this time; she just accepted her word and allowed to be led out of the diner.

It took a few steps for Lennie to realise that Regina hadn't followed them.

"Where's Mom?" She asked.

"She'll be along," Emma replied.

She knew that her wife wouldn't want to be without the baby for more than five minutes. Plus, she hadn't been fed in a couple of hours so she would be getting hungry soon. However, her steps didn't falter.

It didn't surprise her when she walked through the front door fifteen minutes later that Regina was waiting in the foyer. It was as if Charlotte had sensed her other mother's presence as she started to whimper her soft cry that meant she was hungry.

Immediately, Regina picked the baby up and left Emma to push it to its usual resting place before turning to Lennie.

"Come on, Len, bedtime," she said, not speaking to her wife.

"Night, Mom," Lennie said to Regina who leant down to kiss her head.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," she replied before walking into living room to feed Charlotte in comfort.

Once she entered, Emma heard Henry and Ivy's quiet greetings. They'd clearly put Sophia to bed before returning to the living room to relax before heading to bed. It was only half eight so nowhere near time for the adults to retire for the night.

The two blondes walked up the stairs and Emma made sure Lennie brushed her teeth before going into her room. She slipped into her nightie while Emma pulled down her duvet. Lennie slipped in the bed before Emma tucked her in. As per every night, she wished away her daughter's nightmares, hoping that, for once, it would stick.

"What happened tonight?" Lennie asked quietly. "I don't understand."

"You'll understand when you're older," Emma replied with a sigh. She reached out to stroke Lennie's cheek. "Then again, I'm still not a hundred per cent sure I know what's going on."

"But who was that woman?" It seemed Lennie was a box full of questions tonight and Emma needed to find the lid quickly. She'd rather face Regina while she was feeding as she would be more subdue.

"Her name is Maleficent," Emma said reluctantly as she knew her daughter would become excited, but it seemed she was wrong.

"Oh," Lennie muttered. "The woman who made Auntie Zee sad?" Emma nodded slowly. "Then I understand and I don't like her either."

Emma chuckled. "You're a smart one, monkey. Now, it's time for sleep."

On cue, Lennie yawned sleepily as she snuggled down in bed. She cuddled Chip to her chest and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. Emma stroked her cheek softly until her breathing evened out. While she waited, she heard the tell-tale sound of Regina walking upstairs to put Charlotte to bed. It was still pretty early for them to retire but clearly Regina wanted their conversation to be private.

With a nervous breath, Emma gently kissed Lennie on her forehead before heading towards her bedroom. Upon entrance, she saw Regina slowly lowering a sleeping Charlotte into her crib, she was in her navy-blue sleep suit that Emma always placed her in as it has a large silver tiara on the front.

"Hey," Emma murmured quietly as she walked in.

Regina hesitated before turning. She waved her arm over the crib and cast the sound blocking charm before she finally looked at her wife.

"What the hell happened back there?" She asked. Much to Emma's surprise, she didn't sound angry, just confused.

Emma crossed the room and took hold of her wife's hands. "I'm not too sure myself. I just got angry with her for acting the victim. She absolutely crushed Zelena."

"But Em, it's not our fight," Regina muttered as she started stroking Emma's skin with her thumb. "We need to stay out of it."

"But–"

"No buts," Regina interrupted before Emma could speak. She kissed her softly. "I don't want to fight about another couple's fight when it's not needed. Zee is happy with Victoria and Mal is happy with Granny." She pulled a face and chuckled. "Now that is a sentence I never thought I'd say."

Emma then cracked up laughing as she rested her head against Regina's. "I'll let you find out how that happened. For now, I have something else planned."

With the rest of the evening already forgotten, Emma waved her hands around the room, remembering to cast a silencing spell to save their son's ears, before pulling Regina down onto the bed swallowing her shriek of surprise with a kiss.

oOoOo

Monday afternoon soon came around and Emma and Kathryn were standing outside the townhall, waiting for Charming to arrive. As Nook was now working at the station, Charming was able to take a half hour break.

Kathryn had joined them for a light lunch before Abby stayed at the mansion so she could join Emma and Charming at the townhall.

"Are you sure this is all going to go smoothly?" Kathryn asked after worrying her lip between her teeth.

"Yes," Emma replied certainly. "We shouldn't have to go near Snow's office and if she comes out, I'll throw a fireball at her."

Kathryn raised her eyebrow. "You'd do that to your own mother?"

Emma's eyes darkened. "She's not my mother as far as I'm concerned."

At the tone, Kathryn knew not to ask any further questions. Fortunately, Charming chose that moment to arrive. He pulled up in the police cruiser before making his way over. He greeted Kat with a short kiss and Emma with a smile.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

Charming glanced at Kathryn and smiled at her with the dopey grin Henry accused Emma of wearing whenever she was with Regina. "Definitely."

With a nod, Emma turned and led them into the building. She knew the place like the back of her hand after spending so much time there in the past. Mostly to wind up the woman who was now her wife, but that wasn't currently important.

They made their way towards the clerk's office, using the back hallway that would avoid Snow's office. With a crisp knock on the door, they waited to be called in.

Much to Emma's surprise, it was a familiar voice who called them in.

"Marco?"

"Emma, how lovely to see you!" Pinocchio's father greeted them. "I heard you were back."

"Why are you working here?" She asked.

"Ah, it is with great sorrow," he replied. "I couldn't afford the rent on my shop anymore, so I had to leave. Snow was kind enough to allow me to work here."

"Kind enough?" Emma repeated. "Surely she was the one who raised the rent?"

Marco smiled sadly. "She said she had no choice. Now, how can I help you today?"

Emma didn't want to change the subject just yet, wanting to get more information out of the man, but she knew when she was being diverted. Instead, she just went with it.

"David and Kathryn would like to apply for a marriage licence," she said.

Marco's eyes widened a fraction. "You know the mayor must sign these off herself."

"But she won't be doing this time," Emma said, her voice low and clear. "They're allowed to marry who they wish and they have decided to marry each other. They have all the documentation they need."

"But Snow–"

"Leave Snow to me," Emma muttered before turning to her father. "Fill all the documents in. I'll go get her signature for the last page."

And with that, she picked up the last sheet and headed out of the office and towards Snow's. As she approached, she saw Grumpy at his desk, this time sleeping. She didn't bother waking him to know if Snow was free. Instead, she just knocked thrice on the door and entered.

Once again, it was rather unnerving seeing Snow sitting behind Regina's desk. Once more, she had her head down and was writing something. Clearly, whatever she was writing wasn't going well as she kept scribbling it out and starting again. She was also using a very odd shaped quill and a pot of red ink despite the perfectly good biro beside her.

"You know, Regina won't be happy if you've dented the wood," Emma said rather conversationally.

"Well it won't matter as Regina won't see it," Snow replied, still not looking up. "What do you want, Emma?"

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Not in the mood to play happy families today, Snow?"

"Not since you attacked my son and threatened my job," she said as she slowly looked up. "I don't particularly want people like that in my family."

"Yet you have a drunk pirate who's up to no good for a boyfriend," Emma retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I'm not here about him or my wife actually. I just need you to sign this document and I'll be on my way."

She crossed the room and handed the sheet of paper over to her mother. Snow scanned it and raised her eyebrow.

"A marriage certificate request," she murmured as she recognised it. "And who, may I ask, is getting married? They should be here asking for my approval themselves, not sending a proxy."

"They're signing the other documents as I speak," Emma said, being careful as to avoid who the couple were as much as possible. "I'm here on a family member's behalf."

Snow didn't look convinced, but she scribbled her signature on the bottom of the page. "If it means you'll leave me alone." She then handed the document back to the blonde. "Now, please leave, I need to get this right."

Emma glanced down at the sheet and her eyes widened. Snow quickly covered up the parchment and glared at the other woman.

"I didn't give you permission to see what I was doing!" She snapped.

Emma took a few steps back towards the door. "I didn't take you in for kidnapping, Snow," she whispered in shock before turning towards the door.

"Emma Swan, get back here now!" Snow demanded. "You cannot tell anyone what you saw."

"I can't tell?" Emma scoffed. "You're sick!"

She then quickly waved her hand and cast a forgetful charm on the other woman so that she would forget how their meeting ended before running back down to the clerk's office where Charming and Kathryn were finishing off.

"Em?" Charming called when she saw how pale and out of breath his daughter was. "What's going on? Did she hurt you?"

Emma shook her head. "No, this is much worse." She put the signed document on the table. "We need to go to the convent right away." She turned to Kathryn. "Whatever you do, don't tell Regina where we've gone, just go to the mansion and distract her. I'm gonna call Zelena and Cora to meet us when we're there."

Without any further ado or question, Emma grabbed hold of her father's hand. She flicked her wrist and transported them to what was the convent. Now, it was a wreck.

"Jesus!" Charming cried as he saw it. He rushed forward.

"Wait!" Emma called. "We don't know if it's safe." She then pulled out her phone and made two swift phone calls and within five minutes, two clouds, one emerald and one deep purple, appeared as Zelena and Cora joined them.

"What's going on?" Zelena asked. Her hair was even bushier than usual and her blouse was a fraction askew. "Victoria and I were in the middle of–"

"We do not need to know!" Emma quickly interrupted. She recognised the look of frustration on the witch's face. She and Victoria were in the middle of something that Emma did not want to imagine her sister doing. Looking up, Emma saw Cora flash Emma a grateful smile as she also didn't want to know what her daughter was getting up to.

"I was just at the townhall with David and apparently now, you need the mayor's approval to get married," Emma revealed, "and I know why."

"Em, honey, you're not making much sense," Cora said gently.

Charming had to swallow at the tender tone Cora used towards Emma. It was that that a parent would use for their child when they needed help. It was the tone he should have been using.

"Snow threatened to curse Abby if David and Kat got married," Emma said. "At first I just laughed it off because she doesn't have magic. David," she turned to the man, "why didn't you get Blue to help Abby after what Neal did to her?"

Charming's brow furrowed at the question. "Because she didn't want to damage her any further."

"That's bullshit," Emma said. "Blue's magic is pure, she wouldn't be able to cause any damage. Think about it, David, why wouldn't she help?"

Charming's eyes flickered as he tried to remember what exactly happened that day when he saw the fairy to help his daughter. He had rushed from the hospital and come to the convent, ready to ask for her help but as he remembered, an alternate version flashed before his eyes.

As he looked at the wrecked convent, he realised that this wasn't the first time that he had seen it this way.

"Because she wasn't here to ask," he murmured as realisation dawned on him. "Blue and the other fairies weren't here to ask but, I don't understand, why do I remember it differently?"

He looked at Emma, desperate for an answer, but this time, it was Cora who spoke.

"Because there is magic here," she revealed. "To make you forget you ever saw the place as it is. Emma, what did you see in Snow's office?"

Emma swallowed as she glanced between the three before her. "She's kidnapped the fairies." She took a deep breath. "She's rewriting fairy lore."


	60. Chapter 60

"She's rewriting fairy lore?" Zelena repeated, her voice slightly strained. She turned to her mother. "Is that even possible?"

Cora looked pale. "In theory. What was she using to write it?"

"A crooked quill and red ink," Emma said. "Why?"

If possible, Cora turned paler. "That's no ordinary ink," she muttered. "To change fairy lore, you need to write it with a quill made from wood of the sacred elder tree from the Enchanted Forest and tainted blood of a dragon."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "If this is Maleficent–"

"We have no proof of that," Cora interrupted her, knowing where her daughter was going. "First things first, we need to try to figure out what went on here. Charming," she turned to him, "how long ago was Abby injured?"

"Three years ago," he said so quietly, he practically whispered as he realised what was going on had been going on a lot longer than he realised.

Emma let out a steady breath. "So they've been gone for three years at least, maybe more? I just don't get how she's done it with no magical force on her side. You can feel it in the air, there was no battle here."

Charming's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Emma gestured around her. "You won't feel it because you don't have magic, but you can tell when there's been a magic battle somewhere. People leave their magical signatures behind. I can feel Blue's but not in the way you'd expect. Whatever happened here, she wasn't taken by magical force, she just put up the forgetful charm afterwards."

"I'm calling Rumple," Cora murmured as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialled his number and he must have answered quickly as seconds later she was putting her phone away again. "He'll be here in-"

But she was cut off by a cloud of burgundy appearing beside her.

As Rumple went to ask what was going on, Cora turned him to face the convent.

"I see," he muttered before Cora filled him in on everything else. At the mention of the quill and ink, he turned pale. "We need to get inside to find out what's going on. There could be clues left behind to indicate what they want or where they've trapped them. Emma, call Killi and tell him to join us."

Emma nodded and did as requested. However, there wasn't enough time tell him to drive to the convent when he didn't know where it was. Instead, she flicked her wrist and transported him in her signature white smoke.

"Give a guy some warning before you do that!" He laughed once the smoke cleared.

"There wasn't time," Emma replied with a guilty smile, "but also sorry." She then turned towards Rumple. "What's the plan?"

Rumpled looked around the group. "We're going to split up into groups of two. Emma and Zelena, you go upstairs. Killi and David, you take the east wing and Cora and I will take the west. If you find anything, send out sparks."

"Umm, what if your team doesn't have a magic user?" Charming asked. "Surely it would be better if Emma goes with me and Zelena goes with the other Hook?"

Cora then stepped forward. "Rumple, you go with Nook and I'll go with David," she said, not leaving room for discussion.

Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she didn't look as surprised as Charming did. He swallowed nervously at the prospect but slowly nodded. He understood orders when he heard them.

"There's no time to ponder over this," Cora said. "We'll take the west and you," she turned to Rumple, "can take the east."

With that said, she started walking towards the convent, a fireball prepped in her hand in case any dangers came their way.

"Come along, Charming," she called without looking behind her, subconsciously knowing that he wasn't following her.

Charming flashed Emma a nervous smile before scuttling up the steps after her. Rumple and Nook then followed leaving Emma and Zelena behind.

"Let's go," Emma said as she stood up.

Zelena nodded as the two stared making their way towards the convent too. As they got to the door, they saw Rumple and Nook were examining a windowpane that had been smashed in to be able to unlock the door from the other side. The door was ajar, but the top half was hanging off slightly due to the damaged hinge. Nook was inspecting the damage with more detail than Emma thought was truly necessary.

"The other me," he began, "does he still wear his hook?"

Emma's head snapped to the side from where she had been examining the smashed pane on the door. Her eyes widened. "Yes."

Nook swallowed and pointed to the scratch marks on the hinge. "I'd recognised a groove like that anywhere as I was usually behind them."

"What would Hook want with a bunch of nuns?" Zelena asked, unable to wrap her head around it.

"I don't think it was the nuns, Zee, I think it was the fairy aspect," Emma said. "He'll clearly do whatever Snow asks. He's not the brains of this operation. Let's get inside."

She pushed the door which easily accepted her. The group entered and split up. Rumple and Nook veered left leaving Emma and Zelena to walk up the grand staircase before them.

"I definitely can't feel any defensive magic," Emma muttered quietly as they walked up the stairs.

"They were nuns, Em," Zelena reminded her. "They didn't believe there was anything out there that would ever attack them. I'm guessing when the curse broke, they kept the principle. They didn't believe in attacking magic, only defence. Even then, if it was Hook who came to get them, they wouldn't have used magic against him as it would be deemed as an unfair advantage."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Why did Regina have to give them morals?"

Zelena chuckled quietly. "Because she wanted to make them miserable, remember?"

"Talking about being miserable, how do you feel about the Maleficent situation?" Emma asked.

The witch raised her eyebrow at the segue before she sighed. "I'm not happy, as you can imagine. She can't blame my leaving for her escaping me. I came back and she left on purpose to avoid me instead of facing me like an adult. God," she shook her head, "I was head over heels for her and thought we had a chance until she said she didn't want anything serious. I should never have told her that I loved her, then she wouldn't have freaked out."

Emma reached out and squeezed her arms softly. "You weren't to know she'd go bat shit crazy."

"I think the fact she's in a relationship with the old wolf shows she's bat shit crazy," Zelena scoffed which just made Emma laugh. "I just can't get my head around it."

"Yeah, I can't believe that either," Emma muttered, shaking her head with disbelief. "Then again, they're probably a similar age really?"

Zelena then cracked up laughing before she sobered. "I'm just worried that Regina may choose her over me."

Emma's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Zelena sighed. "Think about it, Em. They've known each other for years and been through a lot more than we have. There's so much history there and she might put that in front of our friendship."

"You're more than friends; you're sisters," Emma reassured her. "I know she wouldn't do that." Another thought then hit her and she stopped in her tracks as they reached the top of the stairs. "Because if she puts her above you then there's nothing stopping her from putting her above me." Emma's eyes widened almost comically as she started to panic. "What if she puts her before me and takes the girls with her?"

"Em, calm down," Zelena almost begged as she placed her hands on Emma's shoulders. "We don't have time for his. Regina loves you more than anything and she'd never take the girls away from you."

The blonde swallowed and nodded before pulling away from the redhead and taking a deep breath.

"You're right. Let's get the over with," she said, faking confidence, as they reached the first door on the floor. The door was in the same state as the front door with the broken hinge, causing it to hang off the frame. The wooden door itself had also been smashed in. It was as if Hook had wanted to leave his mark behind.

With a deep breath, Emma pushed the broken door open and gasped at the view. The bedsheets were scattered and ripped. The pillows had huge gashes and there was a blood stain in the middle of the sheets with spatters surrounding it. There was also a thick layer of dust over everything showing how long it had been since someone had been here.

What worried and sickened Emma to the core was the ripped nightdress that had been abandoned on the floor. Even from the distance, Emma could see the faint specs of dried blood on it. Disgust ran through her body and made her shiver as she thought of what could had happened to the poor fairy.

With a wave of her hand, she tried to detect any magic in the air but like Zelena had said, there was nothing. It was as if Blue hadn't wanted to be saved and had accepted her fate. Yet that made no sense. Sure, Blue could be a little bit uptight, but she would never want to go out without a fight.

"Jesus," Emma muttered as she looked around. "The poor woman."

Zelena crossed the room and crouched by the nightgown. "I don't even want to know what he did to her."

"We should try and see if anyone is here," Emma said, pulling Zelena away from the garment.

As they made their way down the hallway, the other doors were a mixture of broken or just open as Hook had forced his way into some and the other fairies had come to see what was going on. There was only one door that was completely shut with no sign of being touched.

"It's the only one like this," Zelena muttered.

"So you think this fairy turned on the others with the help of Hook?" Emma asked. "That doesn't make any sense. None of the fairies would team up with him."

"One might," Zelena muttered before she pointed to the name written on the door in Blue's hand, indicating to whom the room belonged.

_Tinkerbell_

Emma rolled her eyes. "You think Tink is behind this? She wouldn't hurt a fly, and she hates Hook. There is no way she'd team up with him."

"Let's have a look inside," Zelena said and opened the door before Emma could reply.

Worryingly, even though the bed was untouched, the dust had been disturbed. There were footsteps on the floor and the wardrobe door was slightly ajar. When Emma opened it further, she saw that most of the clothes had been taken. It didn't make any sense.

Zelena turned to Emma and raised her eyebrow but before Emma could reply and defend her friend that there was clearly more than met the eye, they heard Cora's voice call them. By the tone, they knew something was wrong. With a quick glace to each other, they rushed down the stairs.

Charming met them at the bottom. "Follow me."

He then led them to where Cora, Rumple and Nook were standing in the kitchen of the convent. The room didn't look out of the ordinary until Emma realised the others weren't just standing together. They were standing around something. No, not something, _someone_.

Emma barely knew her face as she hadn't gotten to know the fairies and now, she never would know this one. She was fair with auburn hair and her jade green eyes were still wide open with fear. She was wearing her nightdress which was crumpled around her thighs, another shiver ran through her for the reason.

Gently, Rumple leant over the woman and shut her eyes, now it just looked like she was sleeping, while Cora pulled down her nightdress.

"Her name was Rosetta," Rumple murmured as he leant back. "Our paths crossed in the Enchanted Forest. She was one of Blue's first recruits, known also as the Red Fairy." He gently stood up. "I don't understand what's gone on here. There are no traces of defensive magic or offensive. It makes no sense."

"I think Tinkerbell is behind this somehow," Zelena said. "Hers is the only room mostly untouched."

"Zee, no," Emma murmured before looking at Cora. "Can you sense any magic here?"

"Only one particular spell," Cora replied. "A forgetful charm if I'm not mistaken, but it's wearing off. Then again, I think that was the intention." She waved her hand through the air as if to take a reading of the spell. "I'm not familiar with Blue's magic, but it's as if the caster placed the charm so that it would fade. That way, she was following orders, but she was also asking for help. If you hadn't come with the intent to find the place, you may not have seen through it either. Then again, the spell is fading. Another week and passers-by will notice it themselves."

"We don't have another week to wait for people to remember though," Emma said. "We have to help them."

Rumple cleared his throat. "Then I would suggest asking Eugenia. Wolves are affected differently by memory charms like this one."

"There is no way I'm talking to her," Zelena sneered.

Before Emma could agree, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She excused herself as she pulled it out, presuming who it would be. However, as she pulled out the device, she saw Ivy's name flash up instead of Regina's.

"Hey, Ivy, what's up?" She answered.

"Where are you?" Ivy asked. "We've got our appointment with Dr Hopper in five minutes."

"Shit," Emma muttered. "I forgot. I'll be there as soon as I can."

She then hung up the phone before walking back to the others.

"Everything alright?" Zelena asked.

Emma nodded. "It was Ivy. I've got to get going. I'll see you later."

She didn't wait for their response before she flicked her wrist and transported herself to the foyer of Archie's office. Once inside, she rushed up to the stairs to see Ivy hesitating outside.

"There you are!" Ivy gasped as she saw her. "What kept you? Did Snow cause issues for the marriage certificate?"

Emma shook her head. "Oddly not. Something came up afterwards, but I'll tell you about it later." She nodded to the door. "Ready?"

Ivy nodded slowly and watched as Emma knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Archie called and Emma opened the door and stepped over the threshold.

"Hey," Emma greeted with a soft smile as Archie came over to shake her hand, starting the meeting officially. "This is my daughter in law to be, Ivy Belfrey. Ivy, this is Dr Archie Hopper."

The two then shook hands before Emma and Ivy took a seat in the armchairs opposite Archie's who sat back down.

"So, this is just an introductory meeting," Archie said as he adjusted his notepad. "I just want to get you both talking to find out a bit about you. Obviously, Emma, I know you quite well already, but I know time has passed since we were last here. I don't want to presume anything. Does that sound alright?"

The two agreed and Ivy allowed Emma to commence the session.

What surprised Ivy the most was the fact that Archie never outrightly asked them what was going on but yet he was making plenty of notes. She also neither said what was bothering her or even went near the topic of Jacinda and the roof top. Instead, she mostly spoke about Henry and how they met, which did include speaking about Jacinda. However, whenever her name was mention, her voice stuttered and she could see Archie scribbling something down. Yet, when they left an hour later, after both making an individual follow up appointment, she felt much lighter already.

As they left, Ivy linked her arms with Emma. "Thank you."

"What for?" Emma asked as the two walked home.

"For suggesting going to see Archie," Ivy replied. "I think it's really going to help."

"For someone who got his qualifications from a curse, he's pretty good," Emma chuckled. "I used to see a therapist every now and then in Boston and he's by far the best I've had."

Ivy nodded and smiled before she remembered what Emma had said when she arrived. "So, where were you?" She asked quietly. "Before the appointment?"

Emma sighed. "As always with Storybrooke, there is always more things going on than meets the eye."

Ivy pulled on Emma's arm to stop her. "What's that meant to mean?"

"Let's poof home and then I'll tell everyone at the same time?" Emma suggested and Ivy looked at her warily before nodding. She held on to her arm tightly as Emma flicked her wrist, transporting them from the middle of Maine Street and in front of the mansion.

Emma opened the door and allowed Ivy to walk ahead of her. However, before the blonde went to speak, she heard a familiar voice coming from the study.

"I'll be right back," she murmured to Ivy before walking in that direction, leaving the other woman behind.

Upon entering the study, she saw her wife sitting on the sofa with another blonde sitting beside her with Charlotte in her lap. Seeing Maleficent holding her child, made Emma's blood boil. The dragon was looking between Regina and Charlotte as if they were her family and that didn't sit right with her at all. After what Zelena had said earlier, panic was winning over logic.

"What is she doing here?" Emma asked, her voice low.

Regina glanced up and shuffled back from the dragon a fraction, realising how close they had been.

"I invited her over to meet Charlotte and Lennie," Regina replied, with a waver of confusion in her voice at why Emma was so annoyed. "How was meeting Archie?"

"Don't change the subject, Gin," Emma said. "How is she meeting Lennie when she's not in here? It's just you two sitting far too close to be just friends." Emma laughed humourlessly. "I've got it figured out. Zelena wasn't the sister you wanted, that's why you bailed. Well, you can't have Regina because she's mine."

"I am no one's possession!" Regina snapped.

Emma sighed exasperatedly. "That wasn't my point. I'm saying that we're married, you're not single for her to have."

"She's in a relationship too!" Regina defended.

"With an old lady!" Emma cried.

Her shout was so loud that Charlotte started to cry. Regina quickly took hold of her daughter out of the dragon's arms to start soothing her before she got up and made her way towards her wife. "I told you I didn't want to fight or get involved in theirs and that is exactly what's going on! Now look what you've done!"

"What I've done?" Emma repeated, aghast. "I haven't done anything. If you want to blame someone, blame her!"

"She hasn't done anything," Regina said as she glared at her wife while she gently rocked Charlotte in an attempt to calm her down. However, it wasn't working with the tone of her mothers' voices keeping her agitated. "I'm going to change her and see if it calms her down."

Without waiting for either of the others to speak, she turned and left the study, leaving the two blondes together. The tension rose tenfold, it was icy and tangible, and Emma felt sick. However, she decided to use the new alone time to her advantage.

"I know your secret," Emma muttered as she turned to the dragon.

Maleficent had made herself more comfortable, taking up more room on the sofa now that Regina wasn't sitting beside her. Her arm was laying on the arm and her fingers were tracing non-existent patterns onto the wood.

Her lips grew into a smug smirk. "What secret is that? I have many." She then shifted her hand so that she was looking at her nails, feigning interest. "You're going to have to be more specific."

Emma inhaled deeply, trying to keep her anger down other, before crossing towards the dragon.

"I know about the fairies," she said, trying to keep the threat in her voice but speaking about fairies deflected it a fraction. "I know that Snow is using your blood to change their lore."

The dragon's smirk didn't even shift as she placed her hand back down on the chair arm. "You have no proof."

"You're the only dragon in town who would cooperate with her," Emma stated. "I know Lily wouldn't do that."

"What would you know about Lily?" Maleficent asked, her voice unexpectedly sharp and she sat up straight. "You betrayed her! You toyed with her feelings and tossed her aside. There's only a matter of time before you'll do it to Regina."

Emma's eyes widened as the complete conversation swerve. "This has nothing to do with my past about Lily! We've spoken about what happened between us and are fine. That's why I know she wouldn't do this; she hates Snow probably more than I do which is saying something." She then leant over and slammed her palms on the coffee table, her typical go to Sheriff mode. "So, I'll say it again, I know you gave your blood to Snow. What do you get out of it?"

Maleficent glared. "My prerogative is my business."

"Oh please!" Emma snapped before pushing off the table exasperatedly. "You're ridiculous. Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth!"

"About what?" Asked Regina as she walked in, now without Charlotte. "She fell asleep after getting changed as she tired herself out. I've set the spell up."

Emma had shared her spell that she had used on Lennie when she was a baby with her wife. When the baby woke but didn't cry, they would feel it the palm of her hand and go see to her. That way they didn't need to keep an eye on a monitor.

Regina could feel the tension between the blondes and was already regretting leaving them alone. However, as they were both still alive, she was taking it as a victory which soon faltered.

"What does she need to tell the truth about?" Regina asked again, glancing between the two.

"Snow has kidnapped the fairies and she's trying to change fairy lore," Emma replied. "Cora said you can only change it with the quill made from the sacred elder tree from the Enchanted Forest and the tainted blood of a dragon." Her eyes narrowed as she stared as the dragon. "There's no one as tainted as her."

"Emma!" Regina snapped. "Don't be absurd. I'm sure there is an explanation for the fairies and Snow couldn't change it if she tried. The elder tree in the Enchanted Forest was burnt to a crisp during a fight between Mal and King Stephan. There's absolutely no way that Snow could get her hands on it and Mal's not tainted in the slightest. You're just projecting your therapy session."

Emma's breath hitched at the fact that her wife didn't believe a word she was saying and instead was defending the woman in front of her. "I can't believe this! You're weren't there, the convent is destroyed and a fairy is dead. Snow had to get dragon blood from somewhere and I know it wasn't Lily. She wouldn't do that. Plus, if Snow has gone through your stores, the only dragon blood in there is hers." She took a deep breath to try and centre herself. "I would never lie to you, Regina, and I wouldn't make something like this up." She pointed to the dragon. "She's working with Snow which means she's against us. This isn't even about Zelena anymore."

Maleficent let out a tired sigh. "I wondered when she would be brought up."

"Emma, you need to calm down and talk rationally," Regina said, slightly condescendingly which just heightened Emma's anger.

"Why don't you believe me?" She demanded.

"Because this is ludicrous," Regina replied. "There is no way Mal would do this to me."

"You don't know anything," Emma snapped. "You're blinded by your friendship for her. Or maybe friendship is too weak of a word. Maybe this is the reason my kiss didn't wake you." She laughed humourlessly. "Because I'm not your true love after all. I'm done here."

And with that, Emma stepped away from her wife and flicked her wrist, disappearing in a cloud of white.


	61. Chapter 61

_Disclaimer: Cora's words about having three loves is something I found on Instagram and they were too beautiful that I wanted to incorporate them into my story. _

Once the smoke disappeared, Emma looked around, trying to figure where she was. All she had thought about when she transported herself was that she wanted to talk to Cora. She was one of the few people who could always help unscramble her thoughts. Zelena was also a possibility but she was too angry at Maleficent to stay impartial.

After glancing around the street, she realised she was in an area of town where she'd only been a handful of times in the past, but she recognised the house in the corner. Many years ago, she would come here to pick up Henry after he'd spent the afternoon with his grandfather and Belle before he left to travel.

Since then, she hadn't been back, but the place didn't look any different. The front garden was still neat, the grass was slightly unruly and the top brick in the centre of the wall was still missing when Henry had tripped over it. Slowly, she walked up to the front door and knocked, a fraction harder than was initially intended. Within a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Cora.

"Emma? What's wrong?" She asked when she took in the sadness and frustration on Emma's face.

"Everything," Emma replied, her voice no louder than a whisper, her head hanging low.

"Come in, dear." Cora stepped aside and led Emma into the kitchen where she waved her hands. The kettle was then flicked on as two mugs floated out of the cupboards and settled on the side.

A few moments later, the two were sitting on the sofa in the living room, sipping on tea.

"Now, what's going on?" Cora asked gently, offering the blonde a soft smile.

"Fucking Maleficent," Emma seethed before informing her mother about the dragon's reappearance at the diner after she and Rumple had left and being at her home. "I hate her for what she did to Zelena and now she's draping herself all over Regina, my wife, I'm not okay with that. Then adding to that she all but admitted that it was her blood that Snow is using. I don't get why she would team up with her when Snow is the reason she didn't get to raise her daughter."

Cora's eyes narrowed as she heard what was going on. "I don't trust her," she murmured. "I never have and I don't think I ever will. I've only come across one dragon once before in my life who was a nightmare. Mushu."

Emma choked on her tea as she took a sip, not expecting that name to be said. "Mushu? The tiny lizard thing from Mulan?" She asked, unable to stop the quiet laughter that escaped. "He's barely a dragon."

"Don't laugh," Cora scolded lightly. She started to roll her sleeve up and waved her hand over her forearm. The skin seemed to peel back, revealing a deep burn that looked like there was something embedded to keep it from healing properly. Clearly, magic was the only way to disguise it.

"Jesus!" Emma muttered. "What happened?"

With another wave, Cora's arm went back to normal as she sat back. "We had a disagreement and he got angry. It was years ago and I'd rather not go into it."

Still very confused but knowing not to question, Emma accepted her words. She sat back and sipped her tea instead and waited for Cora to continue speaking.

"But putting Maleficent aside for now, we all know that you and Regina are going to be fine," Cora said with a smile. "You're meant to be together; everyone knows that."

Emma sighed. "It doesn't feel like it. I'm so angry at her for not defending me or believing me. I know Regina and I have had our battles in the past, but I have never lied to her. I think she's the only person in the world that I've never lied to. I've never felt the need to." She swallowed as she felt tears prickling, threatening to fall. "I love her so goddamn much that it actually hurts sometimes but I'm so used to things collapsing around me, why should this be any different?"

The teacup in her hand wobbled as she was overcome with emotions. Cora reached out and set it onto the table so that it wouldn't get smashed. She knew how fond Rumple was of the teacups in his house.

"Emma," Cora said softly.

"No," Emma insisted. "True Love's Kiss should break any spell, everyone knows this. Yet my kiss didn't wake her up in Hyperion Heights. What if Maleficent is Regina's True Love and I'm just the consolation prize. You didn't see them, Mom. They were sat so close and Maleficent was holding Charlie like she was the most precious thing in the world. I mean, she is, but she shouldn't be for her. She's mine and Ginny's daughter."

"You know, I'm not Rumple's True Love and we're happy," Cora said instead of commenting on what Emma had just said. When Emma went to speak, Cora held her hand up to stop her. "I know that Belle was his True Love and you can't have more than one, but it's not be all and end all. Look at your parents. They were the epitome of True Love and now Charming is with that delightful woman, whose name I've forgotten, and Snow is with that cretin of a man. Sweetheart," she reached out and took hold of Emma's hands which were clamped together, "you're from the real world where True Love doesn't even exist. Why are you so determined for it now?"

Emma swallowed as she held onto Cora's hand, a fraction too tightly to be comfortable, but Cora ignored it.

"Because I've always believed in it, deep down, I guess," she finally replied after a few moments of silence. "I love Regina. I've always loved Regina and I'm scared to lose what we have because she makes me so happy that I could burst. With everything that's gone on in my life, even after the past few years with you and Lennie in Wonderland, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I've never been allowed to just simply be happy. I mean, look at my relationship with Hook. I was so happy at the beginning, he treated me like the princess I was meant to be until it all went up shit's creek without a paddle. Now I finally have the woman I adore and three amazing children, but deep down, I feel like it isn't going to last."

Finally, she let the tears fall. She let go of Cora's hand and rested her head in hers while she sobbed. She wiped away the tears, but it was to no avail as they kept falling.

"You know, I read something in a book a long time ago," Cora said quietly, unsure how to proceed. She wanted to wrap her arms around the blonde but didn't want to overcrowd her. Instead, she continued speaking, "and it resonated in me."

She cleared her throat and shut her eyes as she tried to picture the paragraph she'd read. Emma was still crying quietly beside her, but she tried to zone it out for the time being.

"It's been said that we really only fall in love with three people in our lifetime," she said. "Often our first is when we are young. It feels like the fairy tales we read as children. We enter into it with the belief that this will be our only love and it doesn't matter if it doesn't feel quite right; we think this is how love is supposed to be."

As Emma listened to her words, the tears started to slow. They would still fall when she blinked but Cora's soothing voice was helping her calm down.

"The second is supposed to be our hard love," Cora continued. "This is the kind of love that hurts. We think that we are making different choices than our first but somehow it ends worse than before. It's the love that we wished was right."

She chuckled when Emma pulled a face at that as she didn't fully believe in that with everything that had happened with Hook. However, she didn't make a comment as she knew it wasn't the right time, so she kept quiet, allowing Cora to continue once more.

"And the third is the love we never see coming. It's the kind where the connection cannot be explained. It shows us that love isn't how we thought it would be. It is the love that keeps knocking on our door regardless of how long it takes us to answer. That's you and Regina. Every story I've heard about you, from either you, her, Henry or even David this afternoon, sums that up."

"So that's why you wanted to go with David," Emma said, completely missing Cora's point. "So that you could talk about me."

Cora rolled her eyes. "I wanted to give him some peace of mind," she said. "To me, you're my daughter and nothing will ever change that. I see the way he watches us with regret and jealousy. I wanted to talk to him about it but you're changing the subject."

Emma sighed. "I know. I get what you're saying but–"

"There are no buts here, Em," Cora said softly, interrupting whatever Emma was about to say. "They say that everyone has a True Love, but I reckon that everyone also has at least two soulmates. They're people that would make you almost as happy as your True Love if you don't manage to find them. But like I said, just looking at Snow and Charming, True Love isn't what it all cracked up to be. I mean, you're supposedly meant to be True Loves with Hook! You told me you passed the test in the Underworld."

Emma scoffed. "That was just Hades' trick. It wasn't real." She swallowed. "I just don't know what to do now. We're both angry at each other. It's the first argument we've had since we got together and I hate it. I used to love sparring with her, watching the vein in her forehead pop out with fury, but now I can't stand it. I don't want her to be angry with me, but while Maleficent stays around, there's always going to be an argument because I don't want her here."

Cora considered Emma's words for a few moments. "Then we need to prove that she's working with Snow. We need to find out what Snow is trying to do with the fairies, hell, we need to find them, and then we need to stop them."

"How are we going to do that without Regina getting annoyed?" Emma asked.

"Leave that to me," Cora said. "Now-"

Cora was then cut off by a knock on the door. She excused herself and walked into the foyer. She could see the outline of the visitor and couldn't help her small smile.

"Hello, dear," she greeted as she opened the door.

"Is Emma here?" Regina asked, her eyes a little red and her throat a little scratchy, proving that she'd also been crying.

Cora nodded and stepped aside. "She's in the living room." She pointed in the direction but didn't follow her daughter, knowing that the two needed to be alone for what was about to happen.

Emma looked down at her knees, unsure of what Regina's expression would be when she entered the room. Her knees bounced with anxiety and her breaths were deep as she tried to calm down. She tried to use an old technique that Archie had given her of counting to four per inhale and release, but it just wasn't working.

When she heard Regina enter the room, the signature click of her heels stopping as she reached the carpet, Emma still refused to look up. Then there was a dip in the sofa beside her and her nostrils filled with the familiar scent of her wife. Her deep, rich perfume was such a comfort that she had to restraint from reaching over and snuggling into her neck to breathe it in.

"I thought I'd find you here," Regina said quietly. "I was torn between here and the docks but figured you wouldn't really like there anymore."

Emma still said nothing and kept her eyes focussed on the loose thread on the rug underneath the coffee table.

"Emma, I'm sorry I snapped at you," Regina continued when she realised that Emma wasn't planning on talking any time soon. "I should have listened, but what you were implying about Maleficent–"

"Is the truth," Emma finally said, cutting off her wife. She looked up and saw the red eyes and she swallowed, needing to know why her wife was so upset. Gently, she reached out and cupped her jaw softly. "Why have you been crying?"

Regina leant into Emma's touch and her eyes shut. "Because we had an argument and you left, silly. I panicked and thought you were leaving me until Henry pointed out that you weren't leaving me, just removing yourself from the situation. After you left, Henry ran in as he'd heard the yelling. I was still staring at where you'd disappeared that I hadn't realised Mal had left and Ivy had gone to see to Charlotte who was crying. I was so focussed on that spot that I hadn't felt the vibration in my hand. I burst into tears of sadness and frustration. Henry's face was a picture. I don't think he's ever seen me that upset. Not over you anyway."

Emma swallowed. "So you're here to ends things then?" The abandonment in her past was threatening to make an appearance once more and she was unable to hide the vulnerability in her voice.

The chocolate brown eyes snapped opened and Regina pulled away from Emma's hand. "End things?!" She repeated, her voice strained. "No! I'm here to mend things. Jesus, Emma, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Her eyes flickered down. "Unless you don't want me anymore?"

Now it was Emma's turn to be shocked. "Of course I want you! Ginny, you are the love of my life and the mother of my children. You're everything to me." She felt her body shake with emotion as tears ran down her face. She cupped Regina's cheeks and gently pulled her forwards so that their foreheads were resting against the others. "Everything," she repeated. "I just panicked. My kiss didn't wake you and Zee pointed out that you and Mal had a history and I just put two and two together–"

"And got about seventeen by the sounds of it," Regina interjected with a small laugh. She pulled back. "Honey, Maleficent doesn't mean anything to me, she's just my friend. You're the one who I want by my side for the rest of my life. You're my wife, Emma, and I am so sorry you thought I was putting her above you and I'm sorry for saying the comment about the therapy. It was below the belt. Besides, we _are_ True Loves and I can prove it."

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "How?"

Regina smiled softly. "Well Lennie, of course." She took hold of Emma's hands. "You said it yourself. Two women can only have a child together if they're True Loves and there were no wishes made when we were creating Lennie." She reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Emma's ear. "Even then, before we admitted it to ourselves, we were madly in love." She swallowed. "And if you say there's something more than meets the eye going on with Maleficent, then I believe you. You said it yourself and Henry said it too, you've never lied to me, even when I thought you were. The rings on my finger and the love in my heart prove that I'm on your side. I shouldn't have denied you your opinion and the fact she disappeared so quickly raised some suspicions. I love you, Emma Swan-Mills. I always will."

The space between them diminished as Emma leant forward to kiss her wife. The feeling of her lips against hers and a hand resting on her neck calmed her down instantly. Her heart filled with love as it always did when she was with her wife.

"I love you too," she whispered as she pulled back. "And thank you."

Regina shook her head. "No, thank Henry. He was the one who talked some sense into me."

"Then we should thank Cora too," Emma said. "For talking it into me too."

Regina chuckled. "Then we can thank our family." She kissed her once more and Emma felt like she could breathe again. "Now, let's go home to our kids and you can tell us the full story behind the fairies and Maleficent because I am very confused."

Emma smiled and took hold of Regina's hand. She called her goodbye to Cora who she knew was nearby, listening into their conversation, before she flicked her wrist to poof them home.

oOoOo

"Sorry, can you repeat all of that?" Henry asked.

It was a couple of hours later. Emma and Regina had got home to see that Ivy was putting the finishing touches to dinner and the girls were already sitting at the dinner table while Henry was changing Charlotte.

As soon as Henry reached the foyer with the baby, she started to whimper for food, so Regina excused herself as Emma went to greet Lennie and Sophia.

Once their dinner of spaghetti bolognaise had been eaten and thoroughly enjoyed, they settled down in the living room to watch a film that Lennie requested, this time it was the Lion King, before the girls were put to bed. When they were out for the night, after Emma's wishes of dreamless sleep, which was starting to last longer everything night as they were still waiting for the remedy potion to brew, Emma finally shared what she had found out during the day.

"I'm not saying it all again, Kid," Emma replied with a small chuckle as she sipped her hot chocolate. "Your grandmother is bat shit crazy to put it simply."

"I just don't understand why she had to kidnap all the fairies," Ivy murmured. "I thought Snow had a way with all the people here that could get them to do her bidding regardless."

"Blue is very opinionated and rather self-righteous," Regina said. "She's always been able to see through people and Snow is no different. That'll be why she had to be taken by force," she swallowed, "quite a lot of force by the sounds of it."

"We need to find them," Henry said. "Sooner rather than later and someone needs to find out exactly what Snow was writing."

At that, all heads turned to Emma. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Henry raised his eyebrow. "Ma, if anyone can get into the Mayor's office undetected, it's you. If she's had it sealed with blood magic, you can get it, and you're good at finding anything."

Emma shut her eyes and inhaled. "And when do you think I should do this?"

"Now," Henry said. "Before she remembers that you know. I'll come with you and help."

"No," Regina interrupted. "This is ridiculous. Besides, Emma's forgetful spell won't fade on her."

Ivy bit her lip. "Usually, I'd agree with you, Regina, but I agree with Henry. We need to find out sooner rather than later. You know Emma can do this."

"I have no doubt she can," Regina agreed and Emma couldn't help the small smile that Regina was on her side again, not that she ever wasn't, but the vocal confirmation was nice. "I just think we need to plan it a bit better."

Henry shook his head. "Mom, think about it. Every spell can be broken, she could remember."

"I know that office like the back of my hand," Emma said. "I was always in there."

"Don't I know it," Regina muttered with a chuckle. She nudged her wife softly. "Biggest bane of my life."

Emma kissed her softly. "You love me."

"That I do," Regina said softly as she leant in for another kiss. "Then I guess I give you my approval, not that you need my permission. Just don't do anything dangerous and don't be longer than an hour. I will call you back."

"Got it," Emma said, stealing a final kiss. "Kid, dress in black. We leave in ten."

Ten minutes later, the four were standing in the foyer with Regina cuddling a sleeping Charlotte to her as she had been too fussy to be put to bed.

"Are you sure about this, Em?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine." She leant forward to kiss away Regina's worry and press a soft kiss to Charlotte's forehead. "We'll be an hour max."

She then walked over to Henry who was bidding Ivy goodbye. He accepted his mother's hand as Emma flicked her wrist. Just as the white smoke took them, Emma winked at her wife before completely disappearing.

They arrived at the back of the townhall, intending on sneaking in through the backdoor. They had no idea if there would be anyone on guard.

With a swift flick of her wrist, Emma unlocked the door and the two walked in.

"Damn, we didn't bring any flashlights," Henry whispered.

"I've got it covered," Emma whispered back.

_I wish we could see in the dark._

As soon as the wish was cast, the corridor lit up like night vision.

"Wooow!" Henry gasped as he looked around with his enhanced vision.

"Shush!" Emma cautioned, reaching out to hit her son's arm for being too loud. "We don't know who's here."

"Sorry!"

The two then silently made their way up towards the Mayor's office, keeping an eye out for anyone but fortunately, there was no one else there. That was until they reached the Mayor's office.

There was someone sitting at the receptionist's desk, but he was slumped down, fast asleep. As they got close, they recognised Sleepy and Emma rolled her eyes. He was such a liability, but then again, currently a useful one.

With another flick of her wrist, the door unlocked with a louder click than downstairs. They hesitated as Sleepy shuffled, but he didn't wake. Releasing a slow breath, the two entered the room.

Once inside, Emma waved her arms around the room, casting a silencing spell so that they could speak normally again. However, she kept the light off so that no one could see in. The wish on their eyes would last until she cancelled it.

"You start with the filing cabinet over there and I'll start with her desk," Emma instructed. "But Henry, don't make it obvious that you've been rifling through them."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mother."

Emma chuckled quietly. "Let me know if you find anything."

And with that, the search got on the way.

Unhelpfully, Snow had tidied up the pile on her desk from earlier in the day which also revealed that she had managed to make groves in the wood from how hard she'd been scribbling out. Emma tried not to roll her eyes at it.

With the desk empty, she started rifling through the drawers, but she couldn't find anything. Not just nothing that she wanted to find, but genuinely nothing. Despite being the Mayor, Snow didn't have any documentation, paper or even pens in her drawers. Even Henry was struggling to find any documents until he reached the bottom drawer.

"Hey, Ma, come look at this," he requested.

Emma left the desk and headed over as Henry flicked through pages and pages of receipts.

"This is the reason the town is so run down," he murmured as he showed his mother the documents. "She's stealing everything and putting it into her name. She raised the taxes and rents and just kept all the money in her name instead of the town. There's dozens upon dozens of cases here."

"Jesus," Emma muttered. She waved her hand over the papers and duplicated them. "Put the originals back." Henry nodded. "I still think that I'm missing something."

She walked back over to the desk and lit a fireball in her hand to provide a dim light and that was when she saw it. A photo frame holding two very different photos. The left was of Snow, Hook and Neal that couldn't have been taken much longer than a year ago and the right was of Snow, Charming and Emma. Snow's two families side by side. In surprise, she picked it up to take a closer look. As soon as the metal left the desk, a new drawer dropped beneath were Snow sat.

"Jackpot," Emma whispered. She placed the photo frame down and opened the drawer. Inside were the scribbled sheets that Snow had been working on earlier along with two pots of deep red liquid. Emma quickly conjured up a smaller pot and carefully emptied some of the blood in there so that Rumple would be able to examine it later before she picked up the top sheet.

"Holy shit!"

"What?" Henry cried as he ran over. "Ma, what is it?"

"This is worse than stealing the taxes," Emma gasped as she passed over the page. "She's trying to bring back the dead."

"Not just the dead, Ma," Henry muttered darkly as he read what Emma had missed. "She's planning on bringing back Robin Hood."


	62. Chapter 62

Regina stared at the paper in her hand. It was shaking and crinkling, threatening to rip, as she held onto it so tightly. Emma and Henry had arrived home ten minutes ago to find Regina and Ivy still sitting in the living room, both sipping on a mug of tea while they awaited their spouses to return.

Henry had revealed what he had found, handing over the bank statements to Ivy who was flicking through them, but Emma had been the one to reveal what she had found. She had copied that page before slipping it back into the drawer. She waved her hand over it so that the hidden drawer returned to its hiding place before she grabbed onto Henry, copied documents in hand, and transported them back into the foyer of the mansion.

"Ginny, honey, say something," Emma requested as she watched her wife freeze.

Regina swallowed thickly. "Call Mother and Zelena," she whispered hoarsely. "They need to hear this."

Immediately, Emma and Henry pulled out their phones and made the calls and five minutes later, after Emma had steered Regina into the living room, they were surrounded by their family. Cora and Rumple arrived first before being followed by Zelena and her family. Emma also decided to call her father as Charming deserved to know what was going on too. She offered to poof him to the mansion, so he arrived just before the others and took a seat beside Emma.

"What's going on?" Zelena asked as she entered the living room. She seemed rather annoyed to be dragged over so late, but when she saw the state her sister was in, her natural protectiveness took over. "Gina?"

"Everyone, take a seat," Emma instructed.

Sharing a glance at each other but knowing not to comment, Alice, Nook and Robyn sat on the far sofa while Victoria walked over to her daughter, quietly asking her what was going on, but Ivy just nodded towards Emma and told her to take a seat.

Once everyone had sat down, as Cora had pulled Rumple to sit beside her so that he wouldn't ask Regina if she was okay as Cora could tell that she was anything but, and Zelena leaving Henry to sit with Ivy and Victoria, Emma stood up.

"We've found out what Snow wants by changing fairy lore," Emma revealed after releasing a shaky breath. "She wants to bring back Robin Hood."

Robyn let out a quiet gasp. "She wants to bring back my father?"

With everything that was going on, Emma had completely forgotten that Robin was Robyn's father. She had referred to her as Robbie or Margot for so long, it had slipped her mind. It was then with a newfound regret that she had to say the following, "But we can't allow that."

Sadness clenched her heart when she saw Robyn's small, hopeful smile slip off her face and watched as she then slumped back before leaning into Alice, hiding her face. Emma knew her niece well enough to know that she was crying quietly.

"Why would she want to bring him back?" Victoria asked distracting Emma from her thoughts.

"To break Ginny and I up, I suppose," Emma replied as she sat back down. "She wants Regina distracted so that she can't become Mayor again. She's clinging onto the job by her fingernails and it's only because she's taxed everyone to oblivion that they don't have the money to fight her."

"So that's why she suddenly dresses like a normal human being instead of the old lady she used to," Zelena snarked.

"That was the first change after she took the job," Charming added solemnly. "The clothes, then the hair and then the car. I kept asking where she was getting the money from, but she never admitted it. I figured it out eventually and called her out on it. Then we just went south from there. At this point, I was spending more time with Kat and she with Hook, so I got the divorce papers and that was it."

"She can't stay as Mayor now that we know all of this," Ivy muttered, still holding the copied documents. "We need to call her out on it."

"If we do, she'll soon start to panic," Henry added. "You know she can't cope with that and she'll rush into whatever she's planning."

Emma sighed. "How do we do that without admitting that we broke into her office and found out?"

To her surprise, Victoria smirked. "I can handle that. How do you think Victoria Belfrey got rich? Blackmail. I can have her quivering in seconds."

Rumple nodded. "Start tomorrow," he instructed. "The sooner the better. They can't rewrite fairy lore, the aftermath would be unimaginable. My mother tried and failed." He shivered as memories of the black fairy flashed before his eyes. Cora reached for his hand and squeezed it gently in support.

"What about finding the fairies?" Henry piped up. "Surely if we just found them, we can foil any plan she has."

"Easier said than done," Emma murmured. "I still feel like Tinkerbell has something to do with this."

"I told you!" Zelena cried.

"Not like that," Emma said quickly. "I mean, her room was bare. She packed up and left after it happened. She fled by the looks of it. I'm almost certain she could help. David, have you seen her?"

Charming shook his head. "She left," he said. "About two years ago and no one has heard from her since from what I know."

"Where did she go?" Ivy asked.

"I couldn't tell you, I'm afraid," Charming replied sadly. "We barely knew each other really."

Emma pulled out a notepad from underneath the coffee table in front of her. "So, we have three things on our list. Vicky, you're going to interrogate Snow tomorrow, use the pretence of being new or something. Then we need to find the fairies, Charming and Henry, you can look into this. You both know Storybrooke like the back of your hand. As for me, I'm going to look for Tinkerbell. Others can help out where they can. Everyone agreed?"

There was a general murmur of agreement before people started making their leave as it was rather obvious that their impromptu meeting had come to an end. Regina was the first to leave the room, using Charlotte as an excuse, but Emma knew better, she didn't want to be bombarded by Zelena.

As everyone stood, Emma called Rumple over. She picked up the small phial of dragon blood she had found in Snow's office and passed it over to him.

"Are you able to look into this?" She asked. "This is what Snow was using to write with. Well I'm pretty sure it was."

Rumple uncorked the lid and sniffed it. "It's definitely dragon blood. I can't say for sure if it's Maleficent's, but I can do some tests tomorrow and work it out. There's something definitely wrong about it, but I can't go so far as to deem it tainted just yet. I'll let you know tomorrow evening."

Emma flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you," she muttered before accepting a hug from Charming who had just joined them.

"I never thought I'd be on the opposite side to your mother," he sighed wistfully.

"I never thought a lot of things, David," Emma replied quietly. Before she could say anything else, Cora pulled her into a hug.

"Is Regina alright?" She asked as she pulled back.

"She hasn't said much since it was revealed that they wanted to bring back Robin, so I'm not entirely sure myself," Emma replied with a sigh.

"Pass on my love," Cora requested before pressing a soft kiss to her daughter's cheek.

"Em, you couldn't poof me home, could you?" He asked.

However, Cora shook her head. "We'll take you," she offered instead. "Hold on, Charming."

Charming bizarrely didn't look that surprised as he took hold of Cora's proffered arm and Rumple accepted the other before flicking his wrist and transporting them away. It seemed whatever talk Cora and Charming had had earlier had really calmed the prince down.

Alice and Nook were the next to leave, oddly leaving Robyn behind. Zelena gave her daughter a worried look but she just shook her head.

"I'll be home soon," she assured her mother.

Zelena hesitated a second before Victoria took hold of her hand and encouraged her to leave. In a plume of green, the two disappeared, leaving Emma and Robyn alone as Ivy and Henry had already headed up stairs.

"Em, can I ask you something?" Robyn asked quietly.

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion but nodded. "Course you can, Robbie. You can ask me anything."

Robyn flashed her aunt a smile as she looked down at her hands, picking at her thumb nail like she always did when she was nervous.

"Why can't the fairies bring back my father?" She asked quietly. "You went to the Underworld to get Hook, isn't it similar?"

"I just don't think it would be a good idea," Emma replied reluctantly, trying not to shiver at Robyn's point. She didn't want to admit that it was because it would cause even more unnecessary drama between her and Regina. "I know you want to see your dad, honey, but it would cause more problems than it would solve them. Plus, your dad isn't in the Underworld to get. The way he was killed meant that he couldn't be saved."

"I know, Mom said," Robyn muttered as she finally looked up. Her eyes were slightly watery as she tried to hold back tears. "I just thought that maybe whatever Snow is trying would work. I've heard so much about him and I even carry his name, but yet I don't know him. You should understand where I'm coming from. All you wanted to do was meet your parents."

"Yeah, and it turns out my mother is a complete psycho," Emma sighed. "Look, Robbie, I know you want to meet your dad and I wish there was a way that you could, but the way Snow wants to do it is not the answer. No spell can properly reawaken the dead. God knows I tried it once."

Now it was Robyn's turn for her brow to furrow. "I don't understand."

Emma sighed as she took a seat on the sofa. Taking the cue, Robyn sat beside her.

"I did a lot of horrible things when I was the Dark One," Emma revealed. "You know I made your mom's pregnancy speed up with you?" Robyn nodded. "It was so I could trap the darkness in her. I mean, I'm very glad that I didn't! I adore your mother now. I also stole everyone's memories and broke Henry's heart. Everyone knows all of that, but what they don't know is I tried to bring back Neal. I missed him and wanted his advice. He knew what it was like to live with a Dark One, he was the only one who could help. I tried so many different things but each one failed."

She let out a shaky breath and swallowed as she thought back to that time in her life. She had shut herself away in the cave beneath her house for hours to try and work out how to contact Neal, but every attempt was to no avail. She trapped Rumple and Zelena down there and even they were no help. The space was so large that magic didn't work properly down there, no matter how hard she tried.

"The cellar!" Emma cried as a thought suddenly hit her.

"What?" Robyn asked, confused by the suddenness of her aunt's shout.

"The cellar underneath my old house," Emma explained. "Magic doesn't work properly there and it's large enough to hide people. It's also directly underneath Snow's house. It's where she's keeping the fairies!" Emma stood up and started making her way to the door.

"Emma! It's past midnight!" Robyn called, rushing after her aunt to stop her. "You can't just barge into their house. You have no warrant to search. Tell your father and Nook tomorrow, they can forge a warrant with the crimes against Snow for the money stealing."

The older blonde stopped in her tracks. "You're right. I'll tell them tomorrow." She took a deep breath. "Are you okay about what I said?"

Robyn sighed but nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I don't want any more complications between you and Aunt Gina. I'll talk to Mom or Grandma about it. They usually know what to say."

Emma smiled softly and opened her arms. Robyn fell into them quickly. "I'm so glad you're you again," Emma murmured as she held her tight. "Despite the age difference, you'll always be my little Robbie."

Robyn chuckled as she pulled back. "I missed you, and Lennie, both of us did. I'm very glad to be me again too. Being cursed is odd." She sighed. "I should probably get home; Mom will be worrying." She then looked around and realised that her usual ride had left earlier. "Can you, umm, poof me home please as Alice isn't here?"

"Course," Emma said with a smile before readying her hand. "Ready?"

After Robyn nodded, Emma flicked her wrist and her niece was poofed back to the farmhouse at the edge of town. Emma waved her hand and turned off the lights before transporting herself up to corridor outside her bedroom so she didn't frighten Regina.

However, as she opened the door, she realised that she mostly likely wouldn't have done as Regina was already in bed, fast asleep. With a soft smile, Emma did her business in the bathroom and checked on Lennie and Charlie before taking off her clothes and slipping into bed. Regina automatically shuffled into Emma's embrace and sighed peacefully. Emma pressed a soft kiss to her wife's forehead and tried to settle to sleep herself, but it wouldn't come.

She didn't know how long she spent staring at the ceiling before she finally caved and wished herself to fall asleep. She'd done it before during the time Lennie had been with Gothel, but she always felt a little groggy in the morning so tended to avoid it. Plus, once it was cast, she knew she wouldn't wake up to Charlie's cries in the night, but she had so many thoughts whizzing around her head, she knew she'd not be able to sleep any other way. She would face Regina's annoyance in the morning.

Therefore, as soon as the end of her wish was cast, her eyes fluttered shut and sleep overcame her.

oOoOo

When Emma woke up in the morning, she felt a light tickle on her hip. As she came to, she realised Regina was absentmindedly drawing patterns on her skin as she waited for her to wake.

"Hey," Emma muttered sleepily.

"Morning," Regina replied quietly.

As Emma woke up more, she realised that Regina was feeding Charlotte too. The baby was happily suckling as she laid in her mother's arm.

"How did she sleep?" Emma asked.

"Only woke once," Regina revealed, her moments not stopping. "You slept deeply."

Emma swallowed as she pushed herself up in the bed and stretching before wrapping her arm around her wife's shoulders. "I couldn't get to sleep." She didn't need to say more as Regina nodded in understanding. Despite Emma's new position, Regina's fingers didn't stop trailing her skin. Instead, they moved from her hip and towards Emma's thigh.

"A lot happened yesterday," Regina agreed. "I didn't mean to fall asleep before you came up. I tried to stay awake. What took you so long?"

"Robbie wanted to talk to me," Emma said slowly. "About her father."

Finally, Regina's fingers stopped suddenly as she gripped onto Emma's thigh. Her breathing hitched.

"Gin?" Emma said softly. She didn't want to ask any leading questions so that Regina would speak what was on her mind.

Instead of speaking, Regina finished feeding Charlotte and placed her back into her crib so that she was less restricted. Sitting back on the bed, she took hold of Emma's hand for support.

"I don't want him to come back," she murmured softly. "I won't deny it, I loved him, more than I loved anyone until I realised what I felt for you was much stronger than I ever imagined. There was just so much hurt around our relationship with everything that happened with Zelena. I don't want him back to cause more disruption between me and my sister."

Emma tilted her head to the side as she listened. Everything she had associated with Snow's plan to bring Robin back was flying out of the window. Regina wasn't sad that her previous love could return because of her relationship with Emma, but because it would bring up old wounds with Zelena. It was a prospect that never crossed her mind.

"Oh," Emma said, unable to think of anything else.

Regina offered her wife a soft smile. "I presume you thought it was something different?"

"I didn't know what to think really," Emma said slowly as she tried to understand her thoughts. "My initial thought was the fact my mother was trying to bring back wife's apparent soulmate who she was really happy with. Ginny, you know as well as I do that we wouldn't be together if Robin was still alive. You would still be with him and happy."

When Regina went to interrupt, Emma shook her head. "Let me finish," she requested.

Regina nodded and waited patiently for Emma to continue.

Emma picked up her juice and took a sip to centre herself before continuing. "Cora was saying yesterday that she thinks everyone has more than one soulmate in case we never find the _one_. I agree with that. I mean, look at her and Rumple. We all know that Belle was Rumple's True Love but they're still incredibly happy together. Despite all the mess that happened, in essence, you and Robin were happy together and you would still be now if he hadn't died. I didn't want him coming back and you realising that what you had with him was better than what we have."

"Oh Em," Regina said softly as she reached out to caress her wife's face gently. Emma turned and kissed her palm. "I meant it yesterday when I said that we are True Loves. Lennie is proof of that and I feel it deeply. I literally went to hell with you when I couldn't think of anything better than the pirate being there. I went for you."

"And Robin went for you," Emma added.

Regina shuffled closer to her wife and rested her forehead against Emma's. "Yes, but he's gone, Em, and we will make sure that he won't come back. I have everything I need in this house. My wife, my children and my granddaughter." She pulled back. "What was Robyn saying?"

Emma sighed. "She wants to meet her father. I think I talked her out of it, but there is a tiny part that worries that she might help Snow with all of this if she got to meet him."

"We'll make sure that won't happen," Regina assured her. "We'll keep her busy in the search for the fairies."

At the word, Emma remembered her epiphany regarding them. "I had a thought about that…"

oOoOo

Once Emma shared her idea about where the fairies could be, Regina shot into action. They stopped laying in bed and started getting ready for the day, calling everyone back to the mansion to plan everything.

Rumple and Cora didn't arrive as they were already working on deciphering the blood that Emma gave them. What she thought would be a simple task was anything but. There were several tests they had to run through just to identify whose blood it was and then even more on top to work out the quality and just how tainted it was.

Nook and Charming had barely arrived before Emma told them about the cave underneath her old house. They simply nodded and left and with Emma's request, they took Robyn with them to the station so that they could start working on a warrant as you couldn't just demand entry to the Mayor's house. Robyn was hesitant to go without Alice, but she was already in the library as Rumple had gifted the running of it to her. She was going to be researching anything on fairy lore that she could get her hands on.

Ivy decided that she would go with her mother when she went to Snow's office just so that there was a small buffer there. She knew just how crazy her mother could get when she channelled her inner Victoria Belfrey. Despite being awake during the curse, she did have the fake memories and persona that she could rely upon. It would also help having Ivy there just in case Snow got out of hand as her magic could come into play. Then again, Emma was sure that if the fight got physical, Victoria wouldn't be afraid to smack the Mayor.

"I'm going to talk to Maleficent," Regina revealed after the other plans were made. "I need her to be honest about what's going on. I feel like I'm the best person for that."

"I'm going with you," Zelena said.

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Is that entirely wise?"

Even Victoria was eyeing her partner silently. She didn't want to comment on the idea of her visiting the dragon but knew that it wasn't really her place to inject an opinion.

"I need to know the answers," Zelena sighed.

Regina also looked reluctant, but she saw the look of determination in her sister's eyes. "Then you can join me, but we'll have to take Charlotte with us."

Emma wished that the baby didn't have to go everywhere with Regina when it was dangerous, but she was still reluctant to take the bottle which meant Regina was her only source of food.

"That leaves me and you on babysitting duty then, Ma," Henry said as he glanced to his mother. The girls were currently in the den watching something to keep them occupied while the adults spoke.

"So, it seems," Emma agreed although she was itching to do something to help but as she wasn't back to work yet, the date still undecided, she couldn't go help out at the station which is where she really wanted to be.

"I think that's everything," Regina said as she stood up. "I don't think there's much point in hanging around. Zee, ready to go?"

Zelena stood up after pressing a soft kiss to Victoria's cheek. "Let's get this over with."

"Call me if you need me," Emma murmured to Regina. She kissed her softly and pressed a gentle kiss to Charlotte's forehead.

"I will," Regina promised. "See you later."

Zelena then walked over and the two busied themselves with coats and shoes and placing Charlotte into her pram. Five minutes later, the front door shut behind them.

Victoria then made her way over to Emma. "Is there anything I need to mention to Snow that'll get her to blab?"

Emma shook her head. "She's notorious for telling secrets. It's the whole reason this town exists. She should be pretty easy to persuade. I have no doubt you'll be able to crack her, Vicky."

As usual, Victoria rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Got it." She turned to Ivy who was saying goodbye to Henry. "Ready?"

Ivy pressed a final kiss on Henry's lips before stepping back. "Yep." She walked over to her mother and took hold of her hand. With a flick of Ivy's wrist, the two disappeared in a plume of blue.

Once it cleared, Henry sighed. "Is it selfish that I wish we were helping out and not babysitting? It makes me miss the old days."

Emma chuckled as she walked over to her son. "Not at all because that would mean I'm selfish too."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Henry said.

Emma thought back over the years and all the drama that had happened since she crossed the town line, from finding out her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, dating, and almost marrying, a flying monkey to finding out her teenage sweetheart was no more than the daughter of Maleficent. As the final thought passed through, she realised she needed to find Lily. Surely, she would know what was going on with her mother. She'd be able to give them an insight to Snow's plan too. With her help, perhaps she could find Tinkerbell too.

She just had to hope that Lily was back in town now that Maleficent was. If she was, she could be anywhere, but Emma had to start somewhere and where else than Granny's. With the dragon's newfound relationship with the old wolf, there were worse places to start.

"But it doesn't mean we have to stay inside while they're out," Emma said as a thought came to her. "We're going to Granny's."

Henry raised his eyebrow in confusion as they'd already eaten. "Why?"

"We've got some investing to do."


	63. Chapter 63

Henry followed his mother down to the den to collect the girls and they told them to put their coats and shoes on before they left the mansion, heading towards Granny's. The girls ran ahead as usual, but this time, it was Emma calling for them to slow down instead of Ivy.

"So, do you just want a hot cocoa or is there an actual reason you want to go to Granny's to 'investigate'?" Henry asked his mother.

She raised her eyebrow at her son. She could hear the quotation marks in his voice loud and clear. "Do you really think that little of me?"

Henry lifted his hands in defence. "Not at all, I just wondered."

"I want to know where Lily is," Emma revealed before looking ahead to see that she could only see Sophia ahead as Lennie had run off. "Lennie!" She cried and a second later, the familiar blonde head popped out behind a tree just ahead of Sophia.

"Mom! You ruined it!" Lennie sulked as she crossed her arms as the others caught up to her. "I was going to jump out at you and scare you."

"You scared me enough by disappearing," Emma chastised lightly. "You need to be careful here, it's not like Wonderland where you could run off with Baron and he'd keep you safe."

"Well if you let him come here, then that wouldn't be a problem," Lennie sassed.

Even Henry raised his eyebrows at the mini Regina in front of him. He glanced at his mother in surprise who just shook her head.

"Soon, monkey," Emma said, not rising to Lennie's bait. "Now slow down, we're almost there."

Lennie rolled her eyes dramatically and skipped off with Sophia.

"She really is the miniature Mom, isn't she?" Henry chuckled. "Personality wise I mean. She doesn't really look anything like her apart from her eyes, the rest is you, but apart from that, she's all Mom."

Emma chuckled. "Yeah, she is. Let's hope Charlotte is a bit more laidback. Three Reginas would be rather terrifying…just don't tell your mother I said that."

Henry laughed. "I wouldn't want to be on the other end of her fireball if I did."

At this point, Lennie and Sophia had ran through the archway of the outside of Granny's but the volume of their chatter remained the same, meaning they hadn't entered.

"Why do you want to find Lily?" Henry asked.

"I just have an instinct," Emma replied before they walked through the archway themselves. "Come along, girls."

The four of them headed into the diner and sat in their usual booth with Lennie and Sophia taking one side and Henry sitting opposite his daughter with Emma slipping in beside him. Tiana soon came over and took their orders. Four hot cocoas with cinnamon.

"There is only one person I know who would willingly order that," said a voice from behind them.

Quickly, Emma turned and saw the woman she had been hoping to find.

"Lily!" She cried as she slipped out the booth.

"Hey Ems," the young dragon greeted, pulling the blonde into a hug. "I heard you were back." Emma raised her eyebrow. "Or should I say my mother told me."

"You're just the person I was looking for," Emma said. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

Lily nodded. "I live around the corner now. I was just dropping this off for Genie."

Before Emma could question who Genie was, Lily nipped over to the counter to hand over a small box she was carrying to Granny. Emma couldn't help but glare at the older woman but quickly schooled her features for when Lily returned.

Emma turned to the group sitting at the table, all sipping happily on their cocoa. "I'm gonna go with Lily. Hen, can you keep Lennie occupied?"

"Oh my god, you're Henry?" Lily gasped as she reached the group once more before glancing at Emma. "I can't believe it. We definitely need to catch up."

"Yep," Emma said with a chuckle in her voice, "and while we're on introductions, this is his daughter, Sophia and my eldest daughter, Elena."

At the sound of her name, Lennie looked up. She realised that her mother was standing with a stance that showed she was about to leave.

"Mom, where are you going?" She asked.

"This is an old friend of mine, Lily," Emma replied, pointing to her. "We're going to have a catch up while you hang out with your brother. Is that okay?"

Lennie contemplated it for a moment before looking at her mother's untouched hot cocoa. "Can I have your cocoa if you're not going to drink it?"

Emma chuckled. "Yeah, course."

And with that, Lennie snatched it and swapped between the two mugs happily. "See you later!"

With an eyeroll, Emma let out a sigh and motioned for Lily to move.

"I'll call you to find you later, Kid," Emma said to Henry before she and Lily left.

They started walking in silence as Lily led them literally around the corner. There were three small houses set back behind the diner. Emma was partially familiar with them as Ashley lived there with her family and she had picked her brother up a couple of times when she had been looking after him for Snow and Charming.

However, as they approached, Lily led them to the third house where Ashley lived. It seemed she must have moved out when they had their second child.

"Tea?" Lily asked as she opened the door and threw her keys into the bowl beside the door.

"I'd love one," Emma replied.

Lily nodded and Emma followed her into the kitchen before taking a seat at the breakfast bar where Lily pointed her to.

"So before we get into anything heavy, how are you?" Lily asked.

Emma smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness. The two had been through so much together and there had been some trying times, but they had pulled through and really were good friends now.

"All in all, I'm really good," Emma replied. "I mean to get things out in the open," she raised her left hand, "I've got remarried and have two other children apart from Henry now."

Lily rushed over to take a look at the ring, letting a low whistle. "Regina did well, didn't she?"

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "You know?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course I know," she sassed before finishing up their teas. "Mom told me as soon as she found out." She brought over their drinks, Emma's made to perfection as usual, and shook her head. "I don't get what's going through her head anymore." She sighed, clearly they were starting with the heavy part already. "She seemed to just flip one day and I can't figure her out anymore. Maybe I never could."

"Oh right?" Emma murmured after taking a sip. She hummed at the taste. There were only a select few who could make her a perfect cup of tea. Unsurprisingly, Snow had never been one of them.

Lily sighed again as she swirled her tea. "It started before you left – you're going to have to tell me why you did, you know," she said, eyeing up the blonde, "she just disappeared for a while and didn't even tell me where she was going. When she came back and you and Zelena left, she went nuts. She sank into such a deep funk, I thought she was never going to come out of it. Bizarrely, it was Snow who helped her out. Fucking Snow! I hate that bitch. About six months after you left, Mom grabbed me and told me we were leaving and we went to the Enchanted Forest for a while before she dragged me to Oz of all places. Before long, we came back home and then all of a sudden, she was dating Granny and I have to be okay with it? None of it makes sense."

"So she and Snow are friends now?" Emma asked slowly. "I thought she hated her after what happened with you?" There was no point being blunt.

"That was exactly my thoughts," Lily replied. "She just became dependent on her. It was weird. She decided to channel her depression into something else and got a new vendetta against someone else."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "Who? Zelena?"

Lily shook her head. "You."

The mug in Emma's hand slipped slightly in her fingers at the word. Fortunately, with her dragon reflexes, Lily caught it before it fell.

"What did I ever do to her?" When Lily shuffled in her seat, Emma tilted her head. "Lilith…"

"I told her what happened between us when we were younger," the dragon muttered quietly. "She wanted to know why I hadn't been in a relationship since getting to Storybrooke and I told her that I didn't want one because the one that meant most to me crumbled."

Emma swallowed. The two had spoken about this before. For a brief time in their past, they had been together. Neal thought that he had been the one to take her virginity, but it had actually been Lily. However, Cora was right when she said Emma had had three loves in her past. Despite how much she cared about Lily, she never loved her to the same capacity that Lily had loved her. She hated it, but it was true.

"Lil–"

"It's okay," Lily said quickly, cutting the blonde off. "We've spoken about it in the past and I'm okay with it, I promise, but it did put me off relationships for ages. Especially with all the shitty men I dated afterwards. Plus, there haven't really been any decent available guys here. Although," she blushed slightly, "have you seen the new version of Hook? He's someone I wouldn't mind getting to know."

Emma chuckled at the mood change. "I'll introduce you, but it may complicate things. His daughter, Alice, is dating Robyn."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Everyone is interweaved in this town. I saw Cora and the Dark One the other day. Henry really is related to everyone."

"Yeah," Emma said before finished the dregs off her tea. "But I need you to be honest with me. What does your mother get out of trying to bring Robin Hood back?"

The brunette swallowed nervously. "She doesn't, not really," she said. "She just wants to repay Snow for helping her out of her depression and helping to set her up with Genie. I mean, as creepy as it is, they are happy together."

"Does she not know the major consequence of bringing someone back from the dead?" Emma asked lowly. "Even by getting the fairies to cast the spell, they will still have to replace the soul they're recalling. Plus, Robin was completely obliterated. It's not possible."

"They've found a way," Lily said. "But it involves Tinkerbell."

"Tinkerbell?" Emma repeated.

Lily nodded. "That's why she left," she revealed. "She had business to take care of in the Enchanted Forest and when she came back, the fairies had gone. There was nothing I could do, my mother forbade me from going against her, but I told Tink what happened when she came back. She tried to stay hidden in Storybrooke but then Hook found her one night and told her that she was the missing link to getting him back. She's the one who linked Robin and Regina together, she's the key. As soon as she heard that, she packed all her stuff and left for Oz where they couldn't find her and help them. She hates Hook and can't stand Snow or my mother, so she's staying far away. Part of Snow's rewrite is to get Blue to force her back."

"How do you know all of this?" Emma asked. "Aren't you going to get into trouble for blabbing?"

Lily nodded before she started to smirk. "I promised to never tell anyone and sighed the oath in blood." Emma was at a loss as to why she was smirking. "But Snow also signed the oath with hers not realising that would bring you into it. You're her blood, whether she likes it or not, I knew I'd be able to tell you."

Emma let out a breathy laugh at her mother's sheer stupidity. "What about Tinkerbell?"

"Blue's blood was also used and all fairies are linked to her," Lily replied with an eyeroll. "I don't think my mother quite realised that either. They literally signed an oath that would allow them to tell so many people. I could tell Henry or either of your other kids. Elena and Sophia, was it?"

"Charlotte," Emma corrected. "Soph is Henry's daughter." She sighed. "So as long as we ensure that Tinkerbell stays the hell away from Storybrooke, we should be okay?"

Lily nodded. "But we need to make sure that Snow doesn't force Blue to call her to her. She's tried twice but failed both times as the lore adaptation hasn't gone quite as well as they need to. Mother's blood is tainted, but it's not the strongest. Mine would probably be better but mother banned Snow from even mentioning it. It's still a bit of a sore subject about my being inheritably evil."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "You're not evil. The fact you're helping means you're anything but."

Lily smiled softly. "You're the best friend I've ever had, Ems. You know that. Even with everything in the past, I'd do anything for you."

"Likewise," Emma said. "So, what do we do now?"

However, before Lily could answer the question, Emma's phone started to buzz in her pocket. Seeing Ivy's name didn't initially flood any panic through her, but she knew she should answer it to make sure nothing was wrong.

"V, now isn't the best–"

"Get to the park!" Ivy cried before Emma could speak. "They've blocked my magic, I can't help them!"

Before Emma could reply, Ivy hung up the phone.

"I need to go," Emma said as she rushed out of her seat.

"I'm coming with you," Lily said adamantly as she recognised Emma's panic tone. "I don't care if you think it's dangerous, my magic has come out as well as the dragon in me. I've got this."

Emma nodded before taking hold of Lily's hand and transporting them to the park and the sight that met them was just horrific.

There were two fights going on and Emma's children were in the centre of them. Henry was fighting Hook but using a thick branch he'd picked up from the ground to beat off the hook as he didn't have any other weapon available. Ivy was just behind them with Sophia who was trying to pull something off her mother's wrist. The familiar black cuff stuck out like a sore thumb on her pale, slender wrist. However, try as she might, Sophia wasn't able to get the cuff off without magic.

A few metres away from that battle, Lennie was being circled by Neal. However, something clearly wasn't right with her. Every time she raised her fist to conjure a fireball, it wouldn't light. It didn't take Emma long to see another familiar black cuff on her wrist which infuriated her. Neal was goading her, taunting her and getting closer by the second. Emma had never seen her daughter look so frightened.

_I wish Baron was here to protect her._

As her unintentional wish finished, a portal just beside Lennie opened and Baron rushed through. He didn't even look confused as he spotted Lennie and ran towards her, his teeth bared at Neal.

At his appearance, Lily gasped beside Emma and the blonde remembered she was beside her.

"Get that cuff off Ivy," Emma instructed.

Lily nodded and headed over towards Ivy and Sophia while Emma rushed over to Lennie. She hated the fact that she had to pick a child over the other, but Henry was an adult and he was winning. Hook was stumbling around, flinging his sword around. His gun was far away from where they were and every time her tried to step towards it, Henry would block him. His grandfather had taught him well.

As Emma thought about her father, she heard the familiar screech of the police car tyres, before Charming and Nook rushed from the vehicle, Robyn not far behind them. She readied an arrow and shot it at Hook, her aim impeccable as always, hitting his shoulder and missing any vital organs, unfortunately. The three ran over to them just as Ivy reached Henry and Lily went to pick up the fallen gun, cremating it with her fiery breath which she was able to conjure now even in her human form.

Emma met Charming halfway as they ran over to their children.

"Neal!" Charming screamed.

At the sound of his father's voice, the menace finally froze. He had been waving a smaller sword in front of Baron's face, trying to antagonise him but the Bandersnatch wasn't on the attack, he was in full protection mode. He kept making sure Lennie was safely tucked behind him as he growled at the boy.

"Whatever you do, don't aggravate Baron," Emma murmured to her father. "He's completely safe."

Charming nodded and didn't say a word.

"Mommy!" Lennie cried as she rushed behind Baron and into Emma's arms, she burst into tears and shook uncontrollably. Baron moved with her to stand in front of the two, making sure to keep himself between them and Neal.

"What's going on here?" Charming demanded as they reached them. He looked between his son and granddaughter, trying to ignore his fear of the Bandersnatch.

"They interrupted our walk," Neal shrugged. He actually shrugged, thinking that attacking his niece wasn't a big deal and Emma's blood boiled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She cried. "She's your family."

"None of you are my family," he spat. "Mom's gonna make sure of that. She's working with the fairies to get rid of you! You're all tainted."

Despite the comment, Emma ignored it as she gently pulled the cuff off her daughter. Lennie flexed her wrist and the fireball lit up once more and she let out a sigh of relief, but she didn't stop leaning into her mother.

"Where did you get this from?" Emma asked, holding it up.

"Mom has them," Neal replied. "She's getting the fairies to duplicate them until they get rid of all magic. Disgusting stuff." He spat on the ground to emphasise his point.

Emma shared a glance with Charming, unsure how to respond. It wasn't her position to berate her brother.

"You're coming with me, Neal," Charming stated, leaving no room for discussion.

Neal laughed. "So now you want to be my dad? You can't have it both ways."

"I'm absolutely disgusted by your behaviour, Neal," Charming said, his voice low. "You have to be punished for this and a night in the cells with your old man and your mother's boyfriend sounds perfect." He looked up at Emma and saw her surprise. "Leave him to me."

Before she could say anything, Charming took hold of his son's wrist and dragged him towards the police car just as Nook was dragging Hook behind him. It was a sight to behold of the two Hooks. They looked like the opposite sides of the coins as Hook tried to pull away from the version. Hook was clinging onto his arm where Nook had already removed Robyn's arrow. There was barely any blood, but it didn't stop him howling in pain. Robyn was behind the drunk with an arrow ready to loose in case he tried to run off, smirking at her handy work.

Lennie finally pulled away from her mother and her tears were slowing.

"Did he hurt you at all?" Emma asked as she crouched in front of her daughter, checking her for any injury.

She shook her head as she sniffed. "I just don't get what happened. Me, Hen and Soph were just walking after we left Granny's and suddenly they were in front of us. The man started saying things about you to Henry which made him angry and then Henry punched him. I tried to help but then Neal put that thing on my wrist and then my magic disappeared. He said it was time for payback from me shooting him into the air when he hurt Sophia. It was so scary."

Her tears started to flow again as Emma pulled her daughter to her. She pressed a kiss to her forehead before thumbing away her tears. "You're okay," she reassured her. "Mommy's here." Baron then nudged her softly, showing that he was here too.

Lennie took a handful of his fur. "Thank you for helping," she murmured to her friend. "But Mom, how is he here?"

Emma smiled softly. "I knew you needed him, so I wished for him to be here. I'm going to speak with your mom about it all so that we can make sure he's here forever."

Finally, Lennie cracked a smile. "Thank you."

"Are you able to stay with Baron for a minute?" Emma asked her gently as she stroked her hair softly. "I need to make sure your brother is okay."

Lennie nodded and sat on the floor with Baron lying down beside her. She leant against him and started talking quietly. Naturally Emma didn't know what Baron was saying back to her, but Lennie was calming down by the second, meaning it was something positive.

Emma then made her way over to Henry where Ivy was waving her hand over sections of his body, healing any injury she found. There were a few rips in his t-shirt where Hook's namesake had slashed through it. Some had blood spatters, but most were clean, meaning he'd only got he fabric and not skin. However, he had a nasty black eye that Ivy healed last.

Lily was standing beside them, not quite knowing what to do with herself.

"How you feeling, Kid?" Emma asked as Sophia hugged her grandmother in greeting.

"I'm alright," Henry replied. "Is Lennie okay? I didn't mean for it to get physical but," he then looked to his daughter and didn't want her to overhear what he was about to say, even though she wouldn't understand, "Soph, can you join Lennie and Baron for a bit?"

Sophia grinned and nodded before skipping over to them.

"Can you keep an eye on them?" Emma asked Lily who nodded and headed over to the girls.

"He just kept saying stuff about you," Henry seethed. "Completely inappropriate things about when you'd had sex and he was so proud of himself when he said you enjoyed being dominated and I just lost it and punched him. I mean, he deserved it, but the girls shouldn't have seen me lose control. Then I guess Neal followed and started goading Lennie, but I couldn't get past Hook to help her. All I could find was a branch. Fortunately, Ivy arrived and blasted away his gun before he could use it on me but then he slapped the cuff on her and she couldn't do much else but call you and Nook."

"I got an alert from Henry's phone that he'd fallen as I was leaving Snow's office," Ivy revealed. "She was well and truly freaked out by the time we left, but when I got here and saw all the fighting, I panicked. I called Regina first, but she didn't answer. I called her again a few moments ago but there's still nothing."

"I wouldn't worry," Emma murmured, more telling herself than the others. "Maybe she's not quite finished with Maleficent. Now, let's go home and you can tell me how it went with Snow."

"What are we going to do about Baron?" Ivy asked. "Lennie won't want him to go now he's here."

"I've got an idea for the long run," Emma replied, "but for now, he'll have to go home."

The three of them walked over to where the girls were chatting to Lily and Baron. As Lennie saw her mother approach, her grin slipped off her face.

"You're going to make him leave now, aren't you?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "I'm afraid so, monkey." She looked up at Baron. "I'm sorry, Baron, but we'll bring you back soon. Ready?"

Baron stood up and nuzzled into Lennie before stepping forward, bracing himself.

_I wish Baron returned home safely._

Once the wish finished, the portal lit up beside them before Baron walked through.

"Bye!" Lennie cried before the portal shut. She sighed sadly before turning back to her mother. "I want to go home."

Just as Lennie spoke, there was a shift in the atmosphere. The wind picked up and leaves started rustling loudly, branches swaying almost dangerously. On instinct, Henry and Emma rushed forward to protect their daughters and Henry pulled Ivy's body behind his. However, Lily just watched the sky as the clouds grew closer and darker, turning a deep green.

At first, Emma half panicked that it was Zelena's doing but she knew she had no cause. Lily's eyes widened as she realised what was going on.

"Emma, they're calling for Tinkerbell again," she bellowed over the loud wind.

A portal opened in the sky and something, no, _someone_, dropped out over the top of Snow's house. As soon as she dropped, the clouds parted and the wind mellowed. The only sign that something had ever happened was their windswept hair.

"Is everyone alright?" Emma asked, checking everyone over.

Lily rushed over to Emma and grabbed her hand to stop her from looking at Lennie. "It'll happen tonight now. She's the missing link. If you don't stop Snow, Robin Hood will be back by the morning."


	64. Chapter 64

Fear hit Emma's body like a bullet train.

"Home, now!" She cried, pulling Lennie and Lily towards her. She flicked her wrist at the same time as Ivy flicked hers and they all transported back to the mansion just as Regina and Zelena rushed through the front door with the latter pushing Charlotte's pram.

"Emma!" Regina gasped. "Did you see it? What happened?"

"Tinkerbell fell from the sky," Emma said, her tone serious despite the silliness of the statement.

"I told Tinkerbell had something to do with this!" Zelena cried, a fraction too harshly as she woke Charlotte up.

Regina gently picked up her daughter from the pram, glaring at her sister, silently telling her to put the pram into the corner where it belonged, before turning to her wife.

"What's going on?" She asked. "I don't understand."

"We need everyone here," Emma said instead of answering her wife's question. "God, everything is about to get worse."

Ten minute later, the entire family had arrived except for Nook who was staying behind at the station to keep an eye on Hook and Neal as no one trusted the shady pirate not to try and make an escape while he was unattended. Nook wasn't thrilled to be staying behind but he understood his orders from the Sheriff.

As usual, everyone was crammed into the living room, but Kathryn had offered to sit with the girls in the den so that they didn't overhear anything. As much as she wanted to know what was going on herself, she knew that the was the lowest on the list who would actually be able to do anything. Yes, her hatred for Snow would lead her to do crazy things, but she decided it was best to stay with the children for now.

Lennie was rather frustrated that she was being kept out of everything and Charlotte got to stay in the room. Emma had to figure out a way to tell her daughter that there was no preferential treatment.

"Honey, what you would overhear will make your nightmares worse," Emma had settled on.

They were so close to ending Lennie and Sophia's nightmares, just one more week and the potion Cora and Rumple had been working on would be finished brewing and their nightmares would be a thing of the past.

Lennie hadn't been happy, but when Kathryn promised her a feast of crisps and chocolate, she caved and followed Abby and Sophia into the den. Emma flashed Kathryn a grateful smile.

"She's a Charming," Kathryn said softly. "They always think with their tummies."

Emma laughed and nodded, unable to deny her point, before returning to the living room where people were settling down, ready for the plan of action to be shared.

Once everyone sat down, it all became rather chaotic. Everyone had their own stories to share and wanted to get them out but there was also a shortage of time to be able to hear everything. It was driving everyone up the wall.

After ten minutes of awful shouting, Emma stood up, deciding to take matters in her own hands and become the leader her father wanted her to be.

_I wish everyone would shut up and speak in turn._

The silent broke out immediately, shocking most, but Regina was completely aware that her wife had just cast a wish.

"Jesus, you lot are loud," Emma groaned. "Right, we all have a lot to say that needs to be said before whatever is going to happen tonight. I know everyone thinks their story is important so we will hear each other but please, keep it precise as we really don't have time. Mom, you start with the blood."

Emma sat back down to allow Cora to take the floor. She nodded and cleared her throat.

"The blood is definitely Maleficent's and it is tainted to the degree that will work for what they want, but it isn't the most powerful blood," she began. "It could lead to some issues being raised but Snow seems to have covered that by bringing back Tinkerbell. Rumple and I have been working on a way to reverse the spell so that the opposite to what Snow wants would be implemented. However, we weren't able to quite finish it before we got here."

Emma pulled a face. "Not to worry, there will be other solutions." She turned to the next chosen speaker. "Ginny, how did it go between you, Zee and Mal?"

"It could have gone more smoothly," Regina said, raising her eyebrow at her sister who merely shrugged, "there was a lot of anger and fireballs being thrown but we managed to get her to confess why she's helping Snow. Maleficent fixates on things, she always has. Whenever she's in the darkest of depression and someone helps her out of it, she attaches herself onto them. She did it with me after her battle with Stephan. She's doing it now with Snow. She'll do whatever she askes because she's so grateful that someone pulled her out of the funk. It's scary when it happens."

"How do you break it?" Ivy asked.

Regina bit her lip as she glanced at Lily, not knowing how she would react to the solution. "The only way to stop it last time was locking her under the library for everyone else's protection."

Lily swallowed but nodded. "If that's where she has to go, so be it. She's a danger to the town and to my friends."

Emma reached out to squeeze her friend's knee in support. "We'll do everything we can to prevent that." She let go and looked back at her wife. "Anything else to add?"

Regina shook her head. "That's the gist of it."

"Ivy, Vicky, what did you manage to get out of Snow today?" Emma asked.

Ivy glanced at her mother and gestured for her to begin.

"She's bat shit crazy that woman and that's coming from me!" Victoria began. "Long story short, she believes it is her birth right to rule which is why she took over from when Regina and Maleficent left. When the dragon came back, wanting her job once more, Snow refused. She knew all about her depression and purposefully helped her through it to keep her on her side but also so keep her away from the position."

"Typical," Emma muttered quietly. "What about the tax evasion?"

"That was easy to get out of her," Victoria said. "I told her I knew how she got rich because I did the same thing. I told her that I raised the rents, but she got cocky and told me that she went a step further with fudging the tax figures. She was so proud of herself."

"Naturally she blamed Hook for it all," Ivy added. "She confessed that Hook had persuaded her to higher the rents and raise the taxes so that they could live in luxury for once and not scrounge on the bottom like they had in the Enchanted Forest."

At that, both Charming and Regina scoffed.

"It was their own fault," the two said simultaneously. They glanced at each other and their lips quivered to fight a smile before they turned back to Ivy to continue speaking.

"That's when I said that we'd have to tell the police about her confession," Ivy said. "Of course she said that I had no proof." She smirked. "Little did she know that I watched a lot of police programmes back in Hyperion Heights and decided to use what I'd learnt. I told Mother to put her phone on recording when we entered, so we got everything she said. So she then pulled out her phone and went all Lady Tremaine. It was actually rather wonderful not to be on the receiving end of it." She nudged her mother and laughed quietly. "She said, "I know of a Sheriff who would love to hear those words and luckily for us, I got the whole thing recorded," and waved her phone in her face. We realised we needed to get out then before the dwarves or whoever she's got working for her came for us."

"So Ivy quickly cast some locking charm on the townhall so that Snow couldn't leave for an hour until we could use the information before she ran to Hook or the dwarves for help," Victoria said, taking over the story again. "She knows she's completely screwed. I went straight to the police station to give in the recording and Ivy went to find Henry after she got the notification of his fall."

"You know what happened then, Em," Ivy finished.

Regina's eyes widened at the tone of Ivy's voice. "What happened?"

Between Emma, Ivy and Henry, they told the other what had happened in the park. Regina gasped when she heard what had happened to her daughter before her brows furrowed.

"You managed to wish Baron here?" She asked. "You wished through Realms?"

Emma shrugged. "So it would seem. He's gone back now though."

Regina shook her head slightly in disbelief. "You don't understand how powerful you are." She looked at her wife with sheer awe on her face and pulled her close, kissing her softly, overcome with emotion for the blonde.

"Is now really the time?" Zelena muttered, making the two pull back.

"Sorry," Emma said quickly. "Anyway, Lily has some pretty useful insights too."

She nodded to the brunette who started telling everyone what she knew about Tinkerbell. At the words, Zelena shrunk back in her seat, feeling a little guilty at her accusations when the green fairy had actually done everything in order to protect others.

Not wanting her to dwell on it, once Lily finished her tale, Emma turned to her father. "David, what happened when you got the recording and when you took them back to the station?"

"They've been put in the enchanted cell," Charming revealed. "The one you did last time when we wanted to lock up the Black Fairy." Emma nodded her understanding. "Nook is just there as a precaution for now. Anyway, with the recording, we definitely have rights to a search warrant, however, as we were looking through documents, we've found that we don't actually need one. Em, you're still the official owner. The deed is still in your name."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. Another way Snow doesn't have to pay tax if she isn't a homeowner."

Charming nodded. "It's just a case of knowing when to face her now and who's coming. So, Em, what do you say, are you back to be Sheriff, boss?"

"You're the leader in this, Emma," Regina added. "We'll all follow you."

Releasing a breath, Emma went to speak but she was interrupted when she saw Robyn nudge Alice and nod towards her auntie. Alice shook her head to whatever Robyn was suggesting.

"What's going on?" Emma asked instead.

"Alice has something she wants to tell you," Robyn replied before turning to her fiancée. "Tell her."

"I found something in the library today," Alice began slowly, a little nervous for what she was about to reveal. She snapped her fingers and a large, battered book appeared on her lap. "It's a book of old prophecies and it mentions the saviour, so I thought I'd read through it and found something." She opened the book slowly to stop any dust from flying out and turned to the right page. With a small cough, she began to read. "The darkest fight the Saviour will face, will be with a foe unlike any other." She swallowed. "The lightest of magic verses the darkest of hearts, pure verses evil, daughter verses mother."

"WHAT?" Emma cried loudly. "I know Snow and I don't get on, but I didn't think it would come to a fight. I can't fight her."

Regina slipped her hand into her wife's and squeezed gently. "We'll do anything to avoid it but it if happens, we'll face it together."

Emma nodded and kissed her wife softly before addressing the room. "I do have a plan. Everyone, listen in…"

oOoOo

They were positioned outside Emma's old house in their groups two. Cora and Rumple were staying outside until they were called in as backup. Everyone knew it wouldn't be wise to have Snow and Cora both in the same room, the latter still hadn't forgiven the former over the fact she killed her and that she made Emma's life a misery. Emma didn't want to her to get a little distracted.

Zelena and Henry were teamed up and were ready to enter the cave under the house. Emma had told them of an external entry that no one but her knew about but needed a collection of charms which Zelena would need to unlock first and they would only enter once the signal was given. Alice and Robyn were on dwarf watch, making sure none of them got inside. Ivy had said that Grumpy was on watch at the townhall so it would just be the other six on guard that evening. They weren't a match for the two, but it would be better to keep them out of the way.

Emma, Lily and Charming were the only group of three and they would be the ones to actually confront Snow and Maleficent. They were hoping that the sight of her daughter would make Maleficent cave but that remained to be seen.

Victoria was on Regina and Ivy watch as they had been banned on joining in. Henry didn't want anything happening to the baby in its still early stages and Charlotte needed Regina nearby which was tearing her in half. She wanted to be there to support her wife, but she couldn't leave their youngest. Victoria was there to make sure that they didn't leave the house, making them each partner up with one of the girls for a makeover night for a distraction.

While everyone else was there, Kathryn was already at the hospital, making sure that everything and everyone was prepped just in case anyone needed medical attention afterwards. She knew the fairies would be in need and had Whale and the others on standby.

As Emma and the others approached the house, they saw flashes of light flickering behind the closed blinds. There were crashes and bangs and the windowpanes were shaking with whatever was going on inside. Outside the door stood Doc and Sleepy and before they could speak, Robyn had shot Doc in the shoulder with an arrow and Alice had tied Sleepy to the tree and charmed the two with a drowsy charm to make them sleep.

Emma flashed her niece and her partner a smile before they walked around the house in search of any other dwarves. There were a few loud shriek and groans before it fell silent. Once they were done, Robyn was going to help her mother and cousin while Alice stayed on alert for anyone else approaching.

"Ready?" Charming as the others as they walked towards the house.

Emma nodded. "Let's get this over with." She glanced around and nodded to the others who were standing out of sight as they headed to the front door.

Keeping her manners, at least for now, Emma knocked on the door and waited for Snow to greet them. However, amongst all the noise, they knew she wouldn't be answering any time soon. Instead, Emma nodded to her father who braced himself before kicking down the door.

"Police!" He screamed as the three charged in, Charming with his gun aloft and Emma and Lily both with a fireball in hand.

Cue said, Zelena, Robyn and Henry rushed into the cave to start their missing, the former already throwing the necessary spells at the lock. Cora and Rumple braced themselves outside the living room window.

Emma and the others rushed into the living room to see Snow staring at the centre of the room with glee with Maleficent next to her looking equally happy. In the centre was Blue standing over a tied up and gagged Tinkerbell. Blue's wand was raised as she read out the sheet dripping in Maleficent's blood, her voice was hoarse and forced.

"Let her go!" Emma cried, launching her fireball at Blue. The fairy turned, her eyes wide with fear and hope, but she was forced back to the green fairy but an unknown enchantment.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Snow gasped. "You have no right to be here. This isn't your house anymore."

Emma flicked her wrist and conjured up the deed. "I think you'll find that it is, Snow. This house is all mine."

"Snow White, you're under arrest for tax evasion, kidnap and downright evil," Charming spat.

However, as he walked over to slam the handcuffs on his ex-wife, Maleficent raised her hands engulfing the room in a venom green fire, which threatened everyone that wasn't the fairies, her or Snow. Even Lily was affected.

A sudden gust billowed through the room, knocking everyone off their paths. Charming fell to the floor and the flames went to engulf him before Emma blasted them away, helping him back up to his feet.

The two tried to fight their way towards the fairies to stop Blue from continuing. Whatever was written on the page was forcing her to continue the enchantment no matter what was going on around her. Tinkerbell's body was shaking and convulsing as evil magic shot through her body. Her eyes were wide open with fear and she tried to scream out Emma's name, but the gag prevented her from doing so.

Emma had no choice than to send red sparks out of the window to call Cora and Rumple inside.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Lily demanded as she tried to dodge the flames that were biting at her sleeves. "I'm your daughter!"

"You're on their side, you're no daughter of mine!" Maleficent cried over the noise.

Surprising everyone, Lily screamed and rushed over to her mother. She pulled something out of her pocket and slammed it over the older dragon's wrist and immediately, the fire and wind ceased as Lily took away her mother's magic.

"Then you're no mother of mine," she hissed. She grabbed hold of her and flicked her wrist and the two disappeared in a plume of black.

Emma couldn't pause to panic where her friend had gone as Cora and Rumple were now inside. They rushed over to Blue with Rumple trying to force the page out of her hand in any way that he could but kept failing as Blue rebuffed his attempts as Cora tried to counteract the fairy's spells.

Snow laughed delightfully. "You can't stop her. She's bound to keep going until Robin comes back or she dies. While the fairies are together, she can feast on their power, she won't tire."

However, as Snow happily sang her plan, Blue did start to falter. Her wand was slipping from her grip and the lights around them were starting to flicker before they stopped. The smile on Snow's face fell as she started to panic.

"I don't understand," she breathed as Rumple finally pulled the page from Blue's hand and caught her before she collapsed on the floor. Like Tinkerbell, her body started to convulse.

"I need to take her the hospital before she dies," Rumple said. "She's too weak." Cora nodded and Rumple flicked his wrist, disappearing in burgundy smoke.

"You forget, Snow, this is my house," Emma said. "As the Dark One, I did unspeakable things here, including hiding people in the cave underneath. It's the only undetectable space in the town, where else would they be? Zelena, Robyn and Henry are freeing the fairies as we speak. You're going to lose."

Once Rumple had taken Blue away, Cora set to untying Tinkerbell whose pale green light surrounding her body was starting to dull, meaning that she would last much longer without any medical help.

"Em, she needs help," she breathed. "I have to take her to Rumple."

Emma nodded. "Go, Mom."

Cora nodded and followed Rumple in her cloud of purple.

At the word, Snow's body tenses and she looked even angrier. "What did you just call her?"

"I called her 'Mom'," Emma repeated, keeping her face straight. "You're not my mother, Snow. I don't think you've _ever_ been my mother. You made me choose between you moments after I'd given birth for heaven's sake!"

Snow screamed and surprising both Emma and Charming, she launched herself at the blonde. Her hands went around her neck as Emma stumbled backwards at the force.

"Everything I ever did was so I could be your mother!" She screamed. "I gave you up for the greater good because I had no choice and you chose her instead of me!"

Charming rushed forward to pull his ex-wife off their daughter, the force of it pushing her to the ground. He raised his gun at her to prevent her from moving forward once more. She glared at the weapon but didn't move.

"You gave me up to try and save yourself!" Emma snapped. "David told me that you didn't have to send me away, you could have kept me and the curse would still have been broken, but no, you got rid of me!"

It was something he'd only recently told her as he felt like she needed to know the truth. It had been tough to hear but her hatred for Snow was already set in stone, this just made the carvings deeper.

"You only think about yourself," Emma continued when Snow didn't argue. "I mean, you've not even bothered to find out where your boyfriend and son are. They're in jail by the way. You just had to bring back Robin Hood. Why?"

Snow smirked as she slowly got to her feet but kept her distance so Charming didn't shoot. His finger was still on the trigger.

"Oh, it wasn't bringing back Robin that was the master plan," she said, her voice sickly sweet that it made Emma's stomach turn uneasily. "It was just to prove that my fairy lore rewrite would work. I needed to bring back as past True Love to prove my point."

Confusion was thicker than air at that moment as Emma and Charming listened to Snow's warped idea.

"What's that then?" Charming asked.

"To get rid of True Love," Snow stated as if it was obvious. "True Love is the bane of my life and everyone else's that I've spoken to. They're a person you're meant to rely upon and you're destined to be with but I want to live my own destiny and not have everyone tutting at me for letting you leave me. I hate every aspect of the fact that I'm not meant to be with Hook because he's not my destined True Love."

"So you want to kill one half of all True Love parings?" Emma questions, not quite following.

"Only in some cases," Snow said. "I couldn't use you, dear Charming, because that could have endangered me. No, I wanted to use a failsafe couple and get rid of my enemy for good. Regina."

Emma felt her blood boil at the threat towards her wife. Fireballs engulfed her fists. "Robin isn't Regina's True Love. I am!" She cried. "If you want to kill Regina, you'll have to go through me first."

Finally, Snow hesitated, clearly having not expected her daughter to challenge her, but then her eyes darkened and she released a slow breath.

"Gladly!"

"Snow, think about it," Charming interrupted. "She's our daughter. Do you really want to hurt her?"

"There is no our!" She snapped. "Not since you ran off with _her_!"

"You ran off with him first!"

"No, I didn't!" Snow's voice split as she turned on her ex. "I spent time with Hook to cheer him up after Emma left. You left me."

"He turned our son into a monster!"

"You turned your back on our son and then locked him in jail!"

"He tried to kill our granddaughter and great granddaughter!"

Emma stepped forward. "Enough of this!" She turned to her mother. "I want you out of Storybrooke, Snow. You and you family. You need to leave."

Snow smirked, her mood flipping faster than a tossed coin. "Oh, Emma dear, you can't banish me. I'm the Mayor. I should be saying that to you."

"Get rid of the Saviour?" Emma said, mockingly aghast. "That's the best way to immediately get voted out of office. They won't fear you any longer if you did that. If you want this to end, then it ends how and when I want it to. Dawn. You and me. No magic and no back up. You need to face the consequences of what you've done to this town and to your family."

"You're challenging me to a duel?" Snow said, making sure she heard correctly. "You wouldn't last more than thirty seconds against me without magic."

"Just you wait," Emma hissed before she raised her hands and the house flashed yellow. "You can't leave or call the dwarves to plan a counterattack until you leave tomorrow. I mean it when I say it's you and me, mother dearest." She turned to Charming. "I'm done here. Let's go."

She then turned on her heal, leaving her mother turned opponent behind as she returned home to prepare for the strangest and potentially hardest fight of her life.


	65. Chapter 65

As soon as Emma walked through the door, Regina all but pounced on her, checking her body over for any sign of injury. Almost all of the others were already back at the mansion apart from Rumple who was still at the hospital, helping Whale to save the fairies who were all pretty weak but also to make sure both Blue and Tinkerbell's energy and magic levels were kept at the right point.

Charming had gone back to the station to trade with Nook as he wanted to be on the night watch of his son and Hook. Emma had told him to call her if he needed back up and she'd be right there.

"I'm fine," Emma said quickly to her wife before she could ask any questions, but Regina still pulled her in for a deep kiss.

"God, I've never been so worried," she breathed as she pulled back, resting their foreheads together. "I know it was only Snow but still."

"I'm always going to be okay," Emma assured her. "Even during the duel tomorrow, I'll be fine."

Regina pulled back suddenly. Her eyes went from wide to narrow within seconds. "Emma Swan-Mills, what have you agreed to?"

However, Emma shook her head. "Can we just pretend nothing is happening for now? I just want an evening with my family, watching a stupid movie the girls have picked, stuffing our faces with pizza. Once Len and Soph have gone to bed, I'll tell you everything. Is that okay?"

Regina looked reluctant but she saw the hopeful look on her wife's face, she didn't want to be the one to take it away.

"Okay," she agreed eventually.

Emma shot her a smile and stole a swift kiss before heading down to the den to collect the girls. As she opened the door, she saw that Lennie and Sophia were sitting amongst a pile of pillows with blankets on their laps watching the first Princess Diaries film. Emma noticed that Abby wasn't there so Kathryn must have already been to collect her. It didn't surprise her as Abby didn't like sleeping in a different place to her bedroom.

"Mom!" Lennie cried when she saw her and rushed over, hugging her tightly. "Where have you been? I feel like I've not seen you in aaaages."

Emma chuckled softly after pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I'm sorry, monkey. I promise I'll be around more often soon. Do you want to join us upstairs to watch a film and have some pizza?"

"Yes!" Lennie cheered before she waved her hand to turn off the TV. She took hold of her mother's hand and looked back at Sophia. "Come on, Soph. Pizza time!"

When they arrived back into the main part of the house, Emma saw that everyone was gathering on the sofas while Regina was on the phone to what Emma presumed was the pizza company. While she was on the phone, Emma sat on the sofa beside Cora who was holding Charlie while Sophia ran over to her mother and Lennie crawled onto Emma's lap.

"So, what movie do you want to watch?" Emma asked her daughter. "Your choice."

Lennie squealed her excitement. "Can we watch Shrek the third? Mom hates it when we watch Disney films because of the princess, but she won't know they're there if I put Shrek on.."

Emma chuckled and nodded before Lennie jumped off her lap to put the film in.

When Robyn recognised the film, she grinned and nudged Alice.

"This is the film I was telling you about," she said. "I love the donkey."

"Me too!" Lennie added with a grin as she headed back to her mother, plopping back down on her mother's lap.

"Mind Charlie," Emma cautioned as the jolt shook the baby in Cora's arms, but she stayed asleep.

Regina returned and settled down on the other side of Emma.

"Pizza should be here in about twenty minutes," she said.

At her presence, Charlotte woke up and started whimpering for food. Regina happily took her from Cora before arranging herself so that she could feed her.

The food arrived in time and Emma, Robyn and Zelena set to passing around the boxes. Emma was impressed at Regina's selection. She got five pizzas in total so that there was something for everyone: Hawaiian, vegetarian, meat feast, ham and mushroom and a margarita.

Surrounded by family and food and watching a film that she loved, Emma forgot about all the drama of the day. She was relaxed and comfortable. A weight was temporarily lifted from her shoulders and she just hoped that it could last for the evening. However, she knew it wouldn't.

Around half eight, once all the pizza was demolished, finished off by Henry and Nook, and they had finished watching Shrek which had both Lennie and Emma in stitches as they saw the mock versions of the Disney characters, Emma took Lennie up to bed. She was still talking about the film as the icing on the cake for the film was the fact that Charming was with Rapunzel in this film which made Zelena chuckle and she made a mental note to remind the prince about it when she next saw him.

"Mom, why is everyone acting so weirdly at the moment?" Lennie asked after she'd brushed her teeth and settled into bed.

Emma perched on the side and pulled the duvet up to her daughter's chin. "There are things going on at the moment that no one really understands. I will tell you all about it when you're older, but I don't want to scare you with it all." She brushed some of Lennie's hair off her face. It was getting long again. "After everything that happened in Hyperion Heights, I want to make sure I do my best to protect you."

"You always do your best," Lennie said. "It wasn't your fault Gothel got me. You didn't know she was going to be there and you were distracted by the wedding. I'm sure when I get married, I'll be distracted too."

At that, Emma couldn't help but chuckle quietly. "You're far too young to be worrying about getting married, monkey. Let's face your teenage years first."

Lennie nodded. "That's true."

"I love you, Len," Emma murmured as she pressed a soft kiss to Lennie's forehead.

"I love you too, Mom," Lennie replied before she snuggled further down in bed with Chip in her arms.

Emma stayed until Lennie's breathing evened out before wishing away her nightmares. She quietly snuck out of her room and nipped into Sophia's. The young brunette was snoring quietly with her mouth slightly open, the exact same way Henry used to sleep when he was younger. She wished away her granddaughter's nightmares before she finally headed downstairs.

As soon as she walked into the living room, all eyes turned to her, waiting for her story to begin. Emma released a long breath.

"Let me get a drink and I'll reveal all," she said but Regina beat her too it. With a few flicks of her wrist, everyone, bar herself and Ivy, had a glass of cider in front of them. Emma shot her wife a grateful smile before sipping almost half of the glass before it was finally time to reveal what had happened that evening.

She felt like she didn't stop speaking for half an hour as she relived what happened. There were gasps and attempts of interruption throughout her story, but she kept going, only pausing every now and then to take a sip of her drink or to refill when it emptied.

"But how did Blue lose power?" Ivy asked.

Emma nodded towards Zelena. "Zee and the others got them out the cave. I'm guessing it cut the connection between them and she had no more power of her own left." She looked to Cora for confirmation who nodded.

"All fairies are now at the hospital," Robyn added. "There were six of them in the end and one looked close to death. I hope she makes it."

"You should have seen Grumpy when he rushed in," Henry said. "Moms, get this. He didn't know Snow had got Nova. She told him she'd left town, but she'd kidnapped her too. He's furious with her."

"This will make for a more intriguing battle tomorrow," Cora murmured. "Did Snow admit to why she wants to bring Robin back?"

Robyn shivered at the causal mention of her name and Alice squeezed her hand gently and Zelena flashed her daughter a soft smile.

"It's not really him she wants to bring back," Emma answered, purposefully not using Robin's name again to hurt her niece. "She wants to get rid of the notion of True Love and the power it holds. Her breakup with David must have cut deeper than we originally thought."

Cora looked the most baffled of everyone in the room. "That woman has lost the plot. The magic of True Love is one of the oldest magic in the world. You can't just get rid of it."

Emma sighed. "That's why she's done everything she has."

"But why him?" Zelena asked, following Emma's example of not using Robin's name. "His True Love wasn't Regina, we all know that, so how would bringing him back help? We can't even prove it was Marian."

"Because Snow thinks he and Regina are True Loves," Emma replied with a shrug. "I told her she was wrong."

"I see," Regina murmured. "She wants to get rid of me as well as True Love."

"Over my dead body," Emma said seriously. "She's not going to hurt you."

Regina flashed her wife a smile and squeezed her knee. "I know, I was just pointing it out."

"She needs to get over herself," Cora sighed. "If she should hate anyone in this world, it should be me. I'm the reason everything bad happened in her life and to top it all off," she turned to Emma, "you chose me over her. She should be getting at me."

"Yes, but Mom, she wants to kill two birds with one stone," Zelena said slowly. "She wouldn't be able to get rid of True Love and you at the same time. I mean, do you know who your True Love is to be able to do that?" She glanced to Regina. "From what I hear, neither mine nor Regina's father were."

Cora swallowed and bit her lip. "You're right. I don't know who my True Love is. If I met him, I didn't realise. I've travelled around the Realms, but our paths must never have crossed. Besides, my life seems to have worked out well without knowing who it was and I don't feel like I'm missing out. I suppose in a way, I agree with Snow. True Love isn't the be all and end all, but I don't think it's that bad to get rid of it. Enough of that though," she then turned back to Emma. "What were you thinking in suggesting a duel? Can you really fight your mother?"

"She's not my mother," Emma said, slightly confused at the sudden conversation swerve after the revelation, but she couldn't dwell on it. "You are." She took hold of Cora's hand and squeezed it gently. "She's barely more than a stranger to me. Besides, I don't intend on killing her. I just want to scare her and make her backdown. There is only one person who is meant to be Mayor of this town and she definitely isn't it."

Emma then reached out to take hold of Regina's hand to back up her point. Regina smiled at her softly, adoring the confidence Emma always filled her with.

"Just not quite yet," Regina murmured. "Even after we get rid of Snow, I'm not ready to go back to work."

Cora then smiled softly. "Leave that to me, dear." She said nothing further and left no room for discussion as after that, she slipped on her jacket. "I'm going to see if Rumple needs any assistance."

And with that, she flicked her wrist and disappeared in a cloud of purple.

"We're gonna follow Mother's example," Zelena murmured as she and her family stood. "We'll be there before dawn breaks, though goodness knows why you picked then. You've been with Regina too long and picked up her habits."

Emma laughed. "Snow lives for the drama. I might as well indulge her one final time."

Zelena didn't smile but nodded before taking hold of Victoria's hand, who had been saying her goodbyes to Ivy, and flicked her wrist while Alice snapped her fingers.

Once they were gone, Henry turned to his mothers.

"Ma, are you really sure about this?" He asked.

Emma sighed. "I don't have a choice, Kid. Your grandmother isn't sane and needs this. It has to be me. She's hardly going to hurt me."

"You shouldn't be so cocky, Emma," Ivy warned. "From what Henry's said, you're not too great with a sword without your magic."

"Yes, but Snow is even worse," Regina said before Emma could respond. She had Charlotte nestled on her arms as she hadn't settled when Regina had tried to put her in bed earlier. Instead, she'd had to bring the tot back downstairs and she'd fallen asleep in Regina's arms. She hadn't bothered taking her back upstairs afterwards. "Emma will be fine."

"Just make sure you supply the weapons," Henry said. "You never know, Grandma might have had Maleficent poison them."

Emma shook her head. "Like I said, Lily took her and I know she won't allow her to return. Neither have a clue about what's going on tomorrow morning."

"Do you know what Lily will do with Maleficent?" Regina asked. She was extremely angry with her friend, but she was still a little curious.

Emma shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She just disappeared but I'm sure she'll let me know eventually." She sighed. "All I know is I want tomorrow to be over and done with and then we can continue our life how it's meant to be without looking over our shoulder for something to happen. You two can finally get married before the baby arrives."

Henry chuckled quietly. "It's Storybrooke, Ma. It's never going to be easy."

"Well easier then," she corrected before yawning, "but for now, I just want to get to bed and forget about the morning."

"I'll walk with you," Henry promised. "Ivy's already said she'll stay with the girls. Mom," he turned to Regina, "what's your plan?"

"I'm going," she said before Henry had barely finished the question.

Emma spun around to her wife. "What about Charlie?"

"Charlotte," Regina was still adamant on using her full name, "will be fine. We won't be gone long. I'm going."

With that said, Regina spun on her heel and started walking up the stairs gently as to not wake Charlotte up with her bouncing. The move was meant to look menacing, but she didn't quite have her usual flair with the precious cargo in her arms.

Henry raised his eyebrow at his blonde mother before taking Ivy's hand and the two followed Regina, leaving Emma to turn out all the lights downstairs and ensure the front door was lock. Once all that was completed, she headed up the stairs herself.

Upon entering her bedroom, she saw Regina already sitting in bed, sleep feeding Charlotte so that she would stay down for a little longer.

Emma sighed as she walked in, slowly slipping her clothes off. Not because she wanted to look seductive to her wife, but because it felt like a huge effort to do so. The events of the evening were all tumbling on her shoulders from the fear in Tinkerbell's, the anger in Lily's voice at her mother and the fact that Snow had tried to strangle her. She had decided not to go into full detail about what Snow had tried to do because she knew Regina would be out of the house and cursing the current Mayor in seconds.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked when she saw just how tired Emma was.

Nodding, Emma slipped into the bed beside her wife, wrapping her arm gently around her shoulder and bringing the other up to cup the back of Charlotte's head.

"I'm fine," Emma replied after pressing a soft kiss to Regina's head. "I just want tomorrow to be done with. I feel like I should have just called her out on it then, but it didn't feel like the right moment. I don't want it to be on her terms. I want it to be on mine."

Regina hummed as she pulled Charlotte from her breast. "I understand."

She gently placed Charlotte into the crib beside the bed and pulled up the side that they lowered in the morning so it felt like the crib was an extension of the bed.

"If what Alice said is true, this fight isn't going to be easy," Regina replied as she returned to Emma's side. She automatically opened her arms, knowing that Emma would need the silent support of being baby spoon that evening, and Emma leant into them immediately, laying her head on Regina's chest. "But I don't think it's going to be the physical fight; it'll be the emotional one."

Emma silent for a while as she listened to her wife. She brought her hand up to race light patterns on Regina's flat tummy.

"What aren't you telling me?" Regina asked, reading through Emma's silence.

The blonde shuffled so that she could look her wife in the eye. "Snow tried to strangle me after I called Cora 'Mom'."

"She did WHAT?!" Regina cried before hesitating, hoping it wouldn't have woken Charlotte. They paused for a moment but the baby, fortunately, didn't even stir. "She did what?" She repeated, but this time, much quieter.

"I'm not repeating it," Emma murmured. "It just reminded me of what happened with Hook; that was his go to when I did something he really didn't agree with. I still had that in mind when I challenged her. I'm done with being treated like shit by people and especially by the woman who is supposed to be my mother. She can either accept me as the daughter I am or leave. We both know she won't back down because being in charge is what she thinks she deserves."

Regina leant down and kissed her wife softly. "You deserve the world and more, my love. You deserve all the realms too. You're a born leader. If I didn't know for a fact that the paperwork would bore you to tears, you'd make the perfect Mayor."

At the joke, Emma finally smiled. She shuffled so that she was laying on top of Regina instead of at her side, her thighs straddling her wife's.

"No, being Mayor is all yours," she said. "I'll stick with being Sheriff. I just want life to resume. I feel like it's on pause at the moment until we find our feet back in Storybrooke again. Maybe I was away too long."

"After tomorrow, it will," Regina promised as she trailed the tip of her forefingers up Emma's thighs before resting her hands on Emma's hips. "Now, would you care for a distraction?"

Emma smirked and wave her arms, casting a silencing charm around the room and over Charlotte before leaning down and kissing her wife soundly. "With pleasure."

They fell asleep after passionate lovemaking, their bodies covered in a light sheen of sweat and breaths panting. The feeling of Regina's lips on her skin always made Emma feel powerful but then it made her feel like she could do anything and face anyone no matter what.

When she came, she felt her magic spark around her body and she felt a calm she hadn't known in a while settle within. With Regina by her side, she knew that she could face anything.

oOoOo

Just before the dawn broke, Emma woke up, her body instinctively knowing that she needed to be awake. She dressed in her armour of jeans and her red leather jacket and slipped on a pair of comfortable shoes before heading downstairs.

She called her father telling him that he could release Hook, but it was his choice what he wanted to do with Neal.

"Are you insane?" Henry asked as he over heard Emma's conversation. "Why are you letting him free?"

"They need to be in the same place when they get banished," Emma said with a shrug. "Besides, she needs some sort of support."

"Not that she deserves it," Regina scoffed as she walked into the kitchen after feeding Charlotte. The baby's crib had been moved into Ivy and Henry's so that they could keep sleeping though Henry knew the only reason Ivy was still asleep was because of the pregnancy.

"It's whatever," Emma sighed. "Let's just get going."

Without saying anything further, she slipped on her shoes and walked out the front door. Regina and Henry shared a nervous glance before following the blonde.

They walked in silence, the only sound was the clicks of Regina's heels on the pavement as Emma and Henry's boots didn't sound. Emma was in her head, taking deep breaths to keep her calm.

As they approached the centre of town, they saw a group of people making their way towards them. The familiar red glow of Zelena's hair was a comfort, knowing that there was more family there to support her.

"You've still got time to stop this," Zelena said as she reached Emma, but she just shook her head.

"No, this is it," she replied and kept walking until she reached the centre of Maine Street.

The sky was a muted pink as the dawn approached.

"Red sky in the morning," Henry muttered but didn't finish the old wife's tale.

Charming and Nook approached as Cora and Rumple appeared.

"Emma," Cora breathed as she reached her youngest. "You don't have to go through with this."

However, as Emma looked up, she saw Snow and Hook approaching, Neal was following behind. All three had a look a pure anger.

"I do," Emma said and walked away from her family and towards her former family, trying not to look at Hook as she knew that would make her crumble. "Good morning, Snow."

"Enough with the pleasantries," Snow hissed. "Let's just get this over with. We brought the weapons."

On cue, Hook pulled out two swords from his belt and Emma could already see, even in the dim light of the dawn, that one had a darker tip. She rolled her eyes before flicking her wrists, turning the swords into ashes.

"If you really think I'm going to fall for that, you've got to be kidding!" Emma snapped which was clearly the wrong thing to say.

Hook reached out and slammed her wrist and Emma immediately felt her magic cut off.

"You promised a fair fight, Mrs Jones," he sneered. "No magic allowed."

He leant over her and Emma had flashbacks to the past. First, he'd grip her forearm, then bicep before cupping her throat. Her heart started to beat faster in fear.

"Get away from my wife!" Regina commanded.

With a flick of her wrist, Hook was thrown to the side and crashed to the ground. As he started to get back up, Zelena waved her hand over him, trapping him in a cage of light and knocking him out.

"Leave him alone!" Neal yelled but Charming was already one step ahead of his son and was making his way over to him. He grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and pulled him over to the side.

"Speak again, and you'll never make it out of jail," he warned. It was far too sinister of a punishment for an eight-year-old, but clearly the previous night in the cells had put the fear of god in him as he stopped fighting against his father.

Regina then produced two swords and gave one to both Emma and Snow before nodding slightly at her wife, knowing her voice would break if she spoke.

"My conditions," Emma began. "If I win, you and your family leave Storybrooke, but you go to the Land Without Magic. You can't be trusted with power, Snow, you can't go back to the Enchanted Forest."

Snow's brow deepened. "Fine. When I win, all of you have to go. I don't care where but every single person you consider family is gone."

Emma nodded and held out her hand. "Deal."

The two shook on it before taking two steps back and their swords positioned.

"May the best woman win," Emma said.

"Oh, I count on it," Snow countered before she launched her sword at her daughter.

The fight had begun.

_A/N: Sorry for the missed chapter on Sunday, I was too busy to upload. Just a quick warning that the end is coming soon as much as it pains me. I hope everyone has enjoyed it so far and let me know what you think will happen. Love, Emss x_


	66. Chapter 66

Emma was surprised by the ferocity behind Snow's blows. She was having to stay alert to block every strike of the silver sword. There was a part of her that thought Snow might back down when she realised that Emma was going to go through with the fight and just run away, but it was to no avail as bandit Snow took over. There was a fire in her eyes that Emma had never seen before and it filled her with a fear she never thought she'd never possess at the hands of her biological mother.

However, no matter how hard Snow tried to strike, Emma never once lashed out herself, only blocking the offence. Despite being the one to initiate the fight, she didn't really want to fight her mother, the woman was the reason she was alive after all. Her thoughts were very conflicted.

"Try harder!" Snow hissed as she struck once again, aiming for Emma's side but the blonde deflected it. "If you were brought up how you should have been, fighting would be second nature!"

Emma scoffed to cover up why she wasn't fighting as hard as Snow. "Princesses don't fight! You hated the fact I carried a gun. Besides, whose fault really was it that I wasn't raised by you? You practically pushed me through that wardrobe!"

"Your father put you in there!" Snow cried.

"Under your instruction!" Emma bellowed with exasperation.

The cries were matched with strikes of their swords. The metal clashed harshly against each other, echoing around the silence of the town. By now, the locals had heard the disturbance and were making their way to the street in their pyjamas.

Archie and Marco were hurrying their way over, both desperate to break up the fight but Cora called them back so that they wouldn't get involved. The former cricket wasn't comfortable with the display of violence, especially between the two women, but he didn't want to argue against her. Instead, he pulled on Marco's arm and the two stopped.

Everyone watched on in silence, not knowing whether to jump in to stop or just to allow the fight to continue. Even Neal wasn't making a sound as he stood beside his father. The resemblance between them would have been uncanny if it wasn't for the young boy's dressed sense which still matched the pirate to a T.

Hook was still knocked out in the protection bubble that was being controlled by Zelena. She was keeping one eye on him, ensuring that he didn't stir, and the other eye on the fight. Regina was gripping onto Henry's hand, turning his knuckles almost white, as she watched her wife fight her former stepdaughter. She desperately wanted to send a fireball flying at Snow, but she knew the rules Emma had set up. She didn't want to jeopardise anything. It was killing her.

"You could just cave," Snow taunted as she began to circle her daughter, not stepping close enough to strike, but to try to put her on edge. "Your urge flight has always been more prominent than your fight!"

"Not anymore," Emma retorted with a growl in her voice. "I know where my place is, unlike you!"

"Your place will always be nothing because of what your _wife_ did to us!" Snow practically spat the word wife with as much disgust as she could possibly muster.

"My wife is the best thing that ever happened to anyone, especially me, which includes you!" Emma snapped. "She took you in when you had no one. She cared for you when your father ignored you. She saved your life! How did you repay her? You ruined her life!"

"_Cora_ ruined her life!" Snow cried, her voice splitting on Cora's name causing the woman in question to shiver in guilt, but Regina just took hold of her mother's hand to show that she had completely forgiven her. "Cora was the one who spooked my horse so that she'd have to save me. Despite knowing all of that, you chose that monster over me! Your own mother! How could you?"

"You're nothing to me, Snow," Emma hissed. "You haven't allowed yourself to be my mother just as much as I chose to not let you become that. You never even tried. You just presumed I would fall into your arms and start calling you 'Mom' when the curse broke, but it's a title you have to earn! God knows I know that more than most."

Emma stopped circling a took a few steps back but kept her sword aloft so that Snow couldn't strike her.

"I didn't stay in town and expect Henry to call me 'Mom' straight away; he already had one," Emma continued. "But I showed him that I can be trusted, that I'm always going to be here for him and that I love him something crazy because he's my son. That was when he started calling me 'Mom'. Never once did you do that for me! Especially when you found out you were pregnant. You couldn't wait for me to be out of your apartment so that you could play happy families, but where has that got you, Snow? No husband, a monster as a boyfriend and brat as a son!"

"Don't you dare!" Snow screamed as she shot forward, but her sword was easily blocked by the blonde's. She barely raised it above her elbow before it clashed against Snow's, knocking her back. "You left a decent man behind to go travelling with a monster and took his child away from him."

Emma's sword slipped through her fingers in shock as she froze. It hit the ground with a harsh clatter. "What?" She shrieked. "He isn't Lennie's father!"

However, Emma didn't realise until it was too late that Snow's intention was to use the accusation as a ploy. She shot forward now that Emma was weapon-less, her sword aiming for Emma's chest and the blonde had nothing to block it with.

In her panic, Emma could only shut her eyes and wished in desperation despite knowing it shouldn't work because of the magic blocking cuff on her pale wrist.

_I wish Snow lost control of her sword._

At the wish, Snow's sword grew heavy in her hands and slipped through her fingers. Her eyes widened almost comically in shock as she dropped it.

"No magic!" She screamed, pointing her finger accusatorily to the magic welders around the circle but each one of the held their hands up in surrender showing that it wasn't them. "You know the rules."

Emma was too in shock to realise that the cuff around her wrist may have stopped her physical magic, but still allowed her wish magic. Slowly, she smirked as she knew for sure that she would win.

"This isn't magic," Emma reasoned. "It's wishing!"

_I wish my sword was back in my hand._

The sword raised until it was firmly back in her right hand.

"You see what you don't know, Snow, is that True Love is actually pretty powerful," Emma said rather conversationally as she flexed her hand around the sword. "Whether you like it or not, you and David are True Loves and you produced me. Now, I had a child with my True Love which put even more power in me and oh yeah, I'm the Saviour which means I have more power in my little finger than you ever will."

Despite being powerless, Snow shot forward once more but with only her hands as a weapon, and her clumsiness in the heels, Emma was able to easily trip her over.

"I don't need magic or weapons to defeat you," Emma said simply as she pointed her sword towards her mother's throat. "You'll defeat yourself."

Snow raised her eyebrow. "You think I'm going to impale myself on the sword?"

Emma shook her head. "No. The honourable Queen to be is still in there somewhere. You're going to take the high road and grab your family. Then you're going to leave Storybrooke without any further fight and never come back. I'm done here, Snow, and if you carry on, you're just going to make yourself look even more like the fool that you are. You think you're high and mighty, but you're just a bandit looking for adventure and you can find that," she pointed towards the town line, "out there."

And with that, Emma dropped the sword in her hand just beside Snow's hand. It clattered to the ground before falling still. She turned her back on her mother and started to walk back to her family. She smiled at her wife as she saw her and relief flooded through her that it was all over.

However, Emma underestimated the brunette's delusion. She had barely taken three steps before she heard Henry call out a warning, but it was too late as she felt a tug on her chest.

Looking down, she saw the silver poking through her chest of the sword that had hit her. Red started seeping through her white t-shirt, matching the colour of her jacket. She stumbled before falling to the ground, so completely in shock that she didn't feel the pain of being stabbed but she could feel her heart start to pump frantically before she felt dizzy and everything went black as her head hit the floor.

oOoOo

Once more, Emma woke to the sound of gentle beeping in a bright white room. It didn't take her long to realise that she was once more in a hospital bed. Her chest was sore and she could feel the canular in the back of her hand as she flexed it. It was a familiar feeling she wished she didn't possess.

As she came to, she recognised her favourite set of chocolate brown eyes staring at her with the familiar ruby red lips pulling into a relieved smile.

"Thank god you're awake," Regina murmured as she leant forward to kiss her wife softly.

"What happened?" Emma croaked.

"Let me call Whale to check you over and then I'll tell you everything," Regina said, pressing the call button and moments later a nurse entered followed by Whale.

"Ah Sheriff, you're awake," he commented the obvious as usual.

He then got onto running the usual tests, checking her alertness and reactions before checking the wound on her chest. Why it hadn't been magically healed yet baffled her.

"You're going to have to stay in for a while," Whale said as he wrote his notes down. "You lost a lot of blood and the sword scrapped your heart. Your chest needs to heal before your heart can be returned."

And with that, he replaced her notes at the end of the bed and walked out of the room.

Emma turned to her wife, her eyes wide, before she reached and pressed her hand against her heart, or where it should be, but it was hollow.

"Where's my heart?" She asked and oddly, the machine started beeping more quickly as she panicked. "How is the machine connected to my heart if it isn't in my chest?"

"Calm down sweetheart," Regina murmured gently as she leant forward to take hold of Emma's hand. "Your heart is safe with Mother and the machine is connected to it via magic."

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"You don't remember?" Regina returned, her brow furrowed worriedly.

"Not really," Emma revealed. "I remember starting the fight but after the first few strikes, I've got nothing."

Regina stood up gently and slipped into the bed beside her wife, wrapping her arm around her shoulder before she told the blonde what had happened three days ago.

"When she threw the sword at you, Nook and Robyn grabbed her and dragged her to the station," Regina revealed after she'd caught the blonde up on the fight. "Zelena took Hook and Charming took Neal. They were arrested and charged with everything they'd done wrong in the town, which in old Enchanted Forest rules is punishable by banishment. We sent them over the town line yesterday. Neal had the option to stay with Charming, but he chose to go with his mother."

Emma's brown furrowed. "Yesterday? How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Regina whispered. "Mother ripped the sword from your chest and Rumple realised that your heart had been pierced so I removed it so it wouldn't get more damaged. Mother healed it and it's with her and she won't let it out of her sight. We rushed you here and Whale all but banned us from healing you magically. A wound as deep as this needs to be healed gently apparently. Only your heart was damaged, god knows how she missed anything else, but she did. I've never been so grateful for her bad aim with a sword."

"Where are the kids?" Emma asked as she realised that Regina was alone.

"They're at home with Henry," Regina replied. "Lennie is going out of her mind with worry but Charlotte has finally taken to the bottle so Henry can feed her while I've been here with you."

"I want to see everyone," Emma said. "I need them to know I'm okay." She started pushing herself out of bed, only for Regina to tighten her grip on her so that she couldn't escape.

"What you need is rest, darling," she instructed softly. "You've got a lot of healing to do." When she felt Emma stop struggling, she let go. "I'll call everyone to visit in groups, but you just woke up from a medically induced coma, Em, how are you feeling?"

Emma took hold of her wife's hand and gently cupped her face. "I'm alive and they're gone and I have you by my side. I don't think I've felt this good for a while." She leant forward to kiss Regina softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina whispered as she kissed her wife gently.

oOoOo

Over the next few weeks while Emma recovered in hospital, she was visited by her family every day. They came in shifts of morning, afternoon and evening, but Regina came every day which Emma thought was going to drive the brunette crazy, but every time she stepped through the door, her lips spread into the biggest grin and her eyes filled with love as she saw the blonde.

Lennie was over every evening as she and Sophia had finally started school so that they could meet other children in the town. Lennie and Ashley's daughter, Alex, were already fast friends. The potion had also been finished and administered so their nightmares were no more and the house was peaceful on a night.

Cora had also taken over as interim Mayor while Regina was still on maternity leave. The town was already starting to get back to normal. Cora, with the help of Regina, were working through the tax slips that Snow had fudged and were reimbursing the businesses of everything they were owned. Marco was already back in his shop and enjoying every second.

Without much fuss, Robyn had started working at the Sheriff's station as a deputy as Charming liked her efficiency and he still wanted to make it up to her after what Neal had done when they were children. Robyn had told him to forget it as for her, it happened years ago. Charming was struggling to wrap his head around that for Robyn, it had been fifteen years ago, but for him, it was only five. He was slowly but surely starting to get used to the fact that time was an odd concept even amongst realms.

Lily had also made a reappearance about a week after Emma was taken to hospital. She rushed through the door in panic.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there!" She cried before she revealed what had happened when she'd taken Maleficent away.

Naturally the dragon wasn't too impressed that her daughter had turned on her, but Lily wasn't okay that her mother had done what she had. They talked it out while Maleficent was still wearing the cuff and she promised that she would behave as soon as they returned. However, when Lily removed the cuff from her mother, Maleficent turned straight into a dragon and challenged her daughter to a duel, unintentionally copying Emma and Snow.

Dragon fights were notorious for lasting days as they took to the air, so high that people couldn't see them. It had taken Lily four days to defeat her mother, forcing her to take her human form once more. Once done, she slipped the cuff onto her hand and charmed it so that it could never be removed, not even if Maleficent sliced off her hand like Rumple had so many years ago. With the help of the Dark One, they locked Maleficent below the library once more where she wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a very long time, if ever.

The fairies were also on the mend. The one who was close to death had sadly passed away in the hospital as too much of her power had been drained and Rumple hadn't been able to save her. However, Blue and Tinkerbell were improving every day. They were still in the hospital too, but they were up on their feet and had both come to Emma's room to thank her.

Tinkerbell was one of Emma's companions in the hospital when her family were in between shifts. They got to talking about everything that they had missed in each other's lives and to Emma's utter surprise, Tink revealed that while she was in Oz, she'd bumped into Ruby and the two of them were taking things slow and she couldn't wait to go back once she got the all clear, she just needed to find a magic bean as she had lost hers with being dragged back.

Their chats had Emma thinking about realms and how they intertwined. They were obviously connected in some way that people could travel to them using some sort of magical device, but there had to be a way that they could be linked so that they didn't need magic to pass between them. America used to be made up of several states before being united. Then it hit her.

Three weeks to the day that she was stabbed, Regina, Cora and Zelena all came to visit her on a bright Monday morning towards the end of June.

"I've got it," Emma said as soon as they walked through the door.

"Got what, dear?" Cora asked as she set to replacing the bunch of flowers on the windowsill.

"Everything," Emma replied.

"Emma, stop being cryptic," Zelena sighed as she took a seat beside the bed. "That's my job."

Regina sat on the bed beside her wife. "What do you mean?"

"The way to get Baron here or for Tinkerbell to get back to Oz to see Ruby or for Alice and Robyn to go travelling safely, we need to unite the realms," Emma revealed as if it was obvious. "Think about it, if the realms were united, then Lennie could call for Baron and he'd be able to see her or she could go see him. We wouldn't have to find somewhere in Storybrooke for him."

Regina listened to her wife and realised that she made a lot of sense. "I guess, but how?"

Emma smiled. "Simple, a wish."

"You're still healing!" Cora interrupted. "You're not casting a wish as powerful as that."

"Mom, I'm fine," Emma sighed. "Whale said I can have my heart back at the end of this week and I can leave and get back to normal. I'll be back at work on Monday and I can get started."

"You're not going back to work until July," Regina corrected. She held up the form she had been holding since walking into the room. "I got Whale to sign it off that you're on sick leave until then. Yes, you can go come home on Friday, but you've still got two weeks there before you can go back to work. I've already warned your father that he isn't to let you back. He and I may be getting on better now, but I will still go all Evil Queen on him if he allows it and he is very much aware of that."

It amused Emma now that her father and wife were getting along. It turned out that the two were rather alike and got on very well without Snow getting in the way. As odd as it was, it was also nice to have a solid family unit that she had craved since being a child.

"Buzz kill," Emma whined. "I'm so done being in here. I feel fine and I'm bored out of my head. I just want to go home and return to normal. Snow is gone and it's time."

"Soon, my love," Regina promised as she pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

oOoOo

Emma's heart was finally returned to her when she was home. The love and delight she felt about being home were amplified by thousands as soon as it was back in her chest, lovingly placed by her wife. It felt like breathing fresh air for the first time in years.

Lennie was sitting beside her, waiting patiently, before Emma pulled her close and kissing her all over her face, making her giggle.

"Mom, stoooooop!" She laughed but she didn't struggle as she accepted her mother's affection.

"Never," Emma said but contradicted herself as she stopped kissing her daughter and moved onto a tickle attack instead. Beside them, they could hear Charlotte gurgling her amusement, her mouth wide with a gummy grin.

The one thing that annoyed Emma the most about being in the hospital was that she missed Charlotte's first smile, but she had seen it enough when Regina had brought the tot to the hospital to visit her. The tiniest brunette could already recognise her other mother. She was now three months old and getting bigger every day.

"God it's good to be home," Emma said as she pulled away from her breathless daughter and pulled Charlotte into her lap.

Lennie was grinning brightly despite being slightly red in the face from her mother's tickles. "It's good to have you home. We missed you."

"I missed you all too," Emma said as she pressed a kiss to Charlotte's forehead. "I am never getting injured again."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "We'll see about that. Now, everyone wants to come over tonight, are you feeling up to it?"

"Definitely! Pizza o'clock?"

"Yes!" Lennie cheered.

"Whatever my loves want, they get," Regina said. "I'll call everyone and let them know."

Everyone arrived within minutes and the pizza arrived shortly after. The house was filled with joy and laugher which didn't dampen the entire night. There were no mentions of the past or the fight as they all looked forward to the future.

Ivy and Henry finally announced to everyone that they were expecting their second child. Victoria had already been filled in as Ivy wanted to share the news with her mother, but the others were none the wiser, which included Zelena who was rather jealous that her girlfriend and sister knew before her despite being the grandmothers of the future baby. They also announced that they planned to have their wedding on the first weekend of September. Ivy would be five months pregnant, but she wasn't showing yet and didn't show until six with Sophia.

The next announcement was by Alice and Robyn who also said they were planning to get wed before the end of the year as a wintery wedding sounded perfect. They just needed to find the perfect venue.

Even Nook had found someone as he and Lily had finally been introduced to each other. The young dragon couldn't keep her eyes off him as they cuddled in the corner and Emma adored seeing her friend so happy.

"What are you grinning at?" Regina asked as she snuggled into her wife's side.

The two were sat in the corner of the room, the children were already in bed, the monitor was set up in front of them while Charlotte slept, just talking quietly. Everyone else was talking amongst themselves, but they were just in the moment with each other, savouring the fact the blonde was home.

"I'm just so happy," Emma replied as she kissed Regina's forehead softly as the brunette settled into her arms. "I have more family than I know what to do with and I just feel so content and peaceful. If I died tomorrow, I'd have no regrets."

"You're not going anywhere!" Regina said adamantly.

Emma chuckled. "I know, I'm just saying. Because of you and our family, I'm truly happy."

Regina looked up and smiled softly before kissing her wife softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma said with a small chuckle in her voice and snuggled into her wife closer.

Yes, for Emma Swan-Mills, after almost forty years of life, it was finally just how she wanted it to be. She was surrounded by family and was truly loved. There were so many things still out there waiting to happen, but for now, she truly was happy.

_A/N: the epilogue will be up next Sunday! I hope you have all enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As always, let me know what you think as I love reading all your comments! Love, Emss xx_


	67. Chapter 67

Epilogue

_Three months later_

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Regina asked as she took hold of Emma's hands, squeezing them gently as a silent offer of support.

Emma nodded. "It can't go wrong," she replied. "We've been discussing this since I came out of hospital, I feel strong enough. Besides, if we delay it any longer, it'll interfere with the wedding and they've already had to delay it once."

"Henry won't mind," Regina said.

The blonde raised her eyebrow at her wife. "It's not Henry I'm worried about."

Over the past few months, everyone had discussed Emma's idea of uniting the realms but every time she went to do it, someone thought of something that put a spanner in the works. At first, it was Henry who thought that it was against people's wishes to unite all realms just because one sector wanted it. So, Emma and Regina visited the leader of many realms to obtain their permission. Some were easier than others, but they managed to get everyone on their side within a month. There were still many realms they didn't know of so naturally they couldn't ask them, but they had done their best.

Then it was Zelena worrying about old foes in Oz coming to get her more easily when the realms united, so she kept foiling Emma's plans. It was only when Victoria stepped up and calmed her girlfriend down did Zelena step back and stop interfering.

Now it was Regina worrying that Emma wasn't strong enough despite the fact she'd been out of hospital for three months and had been back at work for over two. She felt better than she ever had been and had had no side effects from being stabbed or having her heart removed for a period of time.

Henry and Ivy had been set to marry at the beginning of September but then Ivy got the flu which sent everyone into overdrive with the baby as she was now five months pregnant. Whale put her on bedrest and banned her from overexerting herself which apparently included getting married. So, now she had been in the clear for a month, they were getting ready for round two.

Emma wanted to make sure the realms were united before the wedding so that they could go travelling for their honeymoon immediately after. They were already set to go and a now five-year-old Sophia would be staying with her grandmothers and aunties. They were all very excited.

Within the three months, Emma had checked the deeds of her old house and realised that she could do whatever she wanted to it. There were so many bad memories tied up within it that she never wanted to step foot in it again, which included visiting anyone who lived there. The solution was easy. She arranged for the entire house to be ripped to shreds and rebuilt as two separate properties of moderate sizes.

The work was carried out quite quickly as Cora and Rumple had done most of it magically and Henry and Ivy moved into one of the houses and Alice and Robyn into the other so that they didn't need to live with Zelena anymore. Nook had also moved out of the farmhouse and into the old apartment Emma used to live in with the Charmings. However, it had been completely renovated into the former pirate's taste so much that it no longer resembled the place Emma used to live in. Then again, she realised that Nook wouldn't be living there long if Lily had her way.

Life in Storybrooke really had settled down and improved since Snow left. Maleficent was still locked underneath the library but Regina had finally returned as Mayor fulltime which meant that Cora was on babysitting duty with a now six-month-old Charlotte who was so close to crawling everyone was on high alert.

However, most of the attention had been on Henry and Ivy's wedding as no one wanted them to put it off any longer with the wait they'd had over the years. He had recently started teaching English at the local high school and was loving every second of it and Ivy was a childminder, helping Ashley with the kids. It was baffling to see the alternate versions of Cinderella and a stepsister get on. Perhaps they had both been in the wrong stories before.

"I'm sure Ivy won't mind either," Regina tried to reason but Emma shook her head.

"They shouldn't have to," Emma said. She let go of one of Regina's hands and cupped her cheek. "I can do this."

"I have no doubt that you can," Regina assured her wife as she leant into her touch. "I just…"

"It's going to be fine," Emma said when Regina lost her trail of words. "Watch."

Emma let go of her wife and took a few steps back. They were standing by the well in the forest as it had the most magical source that they could find in the town. Emma rested her hands on the stone and shut her eyes as Cora had suggested. Slowly, she inhaled and exhaled to keep herself calm.

_I wish for all the realms to be united as one._

Slowly, the ground began to shake and the breeze began to bluster. Emma rushed forward to hold onto her wife as the clouds above swirled together, flashing lights bursting around, beautiful greens and stunning blues before everything calmed as suddenly as it began.

"Emma, look!" Regina gasped.

Emma stepped back and looked around. The clearing that used to just be trees was now distinctively Wonderland. She would recognise Cora's palace anywhere. To the right, there were the sandy dunes of Agrabah and just behind, the shimmering Emerald City.

"Em, you did it!" Regina cheered.

"I can't believe it!" Emma said, letting out a shake breath before looking at her wife. "It actually worked."

"You're amazing," Regina breathed as she pulled her wife in for a kissed. "The most amazing ever."

Emma laughed quietly. "Hardly but I'll accept it from you."

When they returned home, they were greeted with loud cheers from their family and glasses of champagne thrust into their hands.

"I knew you could do it!" Cora cheered as she pulled Emma into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

Emma blushed as she pulled back, sheepishly grinning. "Thanks, Mom."

oOoOo

Henry and Ivy finally got married two weeks after the realms were united. In the time between, Ruby had returned home and was reunited with Tink who was over the moon to have her girlfriend back. The young wolf was also back to help her grandmother cheer up. No one had had the heart to confess to Granny where Maleficent really was, just that she'd been arrested for her betrayal.

Lennie was also reunited with Baron and his family and she was able to see him most days as he tended to meet her after school and walk her home.

The wedding took place on the beach as the sun was setting. Ivy asked her mother to walk her down the aisle and Sophia and Lennie were bridesmaids/flower girls, dressed in light purple. Lennie had all but refused to wear pink but had settled on light purple.

Ivy looked stunning in a floating cream dress that didn't cling to her bump as she almost glided down the aisle to where Henry was waiting for her. He had Charming standing proud beside him as his best man. Regina and Emma watched on as Rumple led the service as Henry had wanted to have both of his grandfathers as part of the service.

When Rumple announced that they were finally husband and wife, Henry all but pulled Ivy to him and kissed her soundly before resting his hand on her bump before declaring his love for her. Ivy's blush was bright, but she thrived on the attention.

Their wedding party was being held at the newest and chicest restaurant in town. A month ago, Tiana, Zelena and Victoria joined heads and opened up a restaurant together, not too far away from the farmhouse. Tiana was naturally the chef, Victoria was the manager and Zelena was on the bar. Robyn helped out time to time, but they had Prince Eric and Ariel helping out. He was in charge of the fish dishes that Tiana avoided and Ariel was a waitress along with Tinkerbell.

oOoOo

Four months to the date of their wedding, Henry and Ivy welcomed their second child into the world. Henry cried as he held his son in his arms. They had decided that they wouldn't find out the sex as Henry didn't want to be faced with another girl in the family. Not that he wouldn't be happy with another daughter, but the men in the family were very outnumbered by the women.

When Regina and Emma came to meet their new grandson, they were bursting with joy. He had a full head of chocolate brown hair that matched Henry's perfectly and had Ivy's hazel eyes. He looked exactly like Sophia when she was born Regina had said.

"What's his name?" Regina asked as she cuddled him close to her chest while Henry had hold of Charlotte.

"Emmett," Ivy revealed. "Emmett Reginald Swan-Mills."

Realising the boy was named after them, both Emma and Regina shared a grin.

"You didn't have to," Emma said but Henry shook his head.

"You two are everything to us," he said. "There's no one better that we wanted to name him after."

"The names are a little old-fashioned though," Regina added. "Are you sure?"

Henry nodded. "Never surer."

"We can always give him a nickname," Emma suggested as she stroked Emmett's hair. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

By the time Emmett was a week old, he was already being called ER by everyone, even Regina who had also finally started calling Charlotte, Charlie as the tot grinned more at her nickname, much to her brunette mother's displeasure.

oOoOo

Christmastime was full of celebrations. On the first of the month, Charming and Kathryn finally tied the knot with Regina and Zelena as bridesmaids and Emma as the best man. Henry had been a little miffed at not being selected after he chose his grandfather for his, but Emma had simply winked at her son and said, "snooze, ya lose!" Henry had laughed so much at the unexpected comment that he stopped stropping about it.

Rumple also officiated the ceremony which was starting to look less weird than expected. He and Charming also got on very well now that they had put their differences aside for the sake of their family.

The ceremony was beautiful as they were surrounded by a light dusting of snow which everyone thought was ironic that the precipitation was around but at least it was better than the actual person. No one had heard of the woman or the others since they left which everyone was relieved about.

They wed on the edge of the forest surrounded by trees and nature. However, Emma had wished that the cold didn't affect anyone so they could enjoy the wedding without being distracted by the weather.

A week before Christmas, Robyn and Alice tied the knot surrounded by their family. Zelena walked her daughter down the aisle with Nook walking Alice. The snow was still on the ground and the brides looked beautiful in their white gowns, their bright smiles lit up the room. They had decided to marry in the mansion, surrounded by family and friends as it was cheaper and cosier. Their afterparty was at the restaurant which had simply been named Enchanted.

By the time Lennie's ninth birthday hit, as much as she all adored their family, Lennie requested that the evening was just spent with her mothers, sister and grandmother. She had wanted to invite Zelena and Robyn too so it was like Wonderland again, but she didn't want to be rude to Alice or Victoria so she changed her mind. They would all be together again for Christmas which was being hosted at the mansion which Henry had decided was to be the tradition as it was the biggest house for the entire family.

The joy of Christmas day was even more magical than Emma had ever experience as she had all of her children under one roof along with her niece and grandchildren. She had her father and stepmother, though she refused to called Kathryn 'Mom' as she had drunkenly suggested on their wedding day, at one side and Cora and Rumple on the other. Rumple still wasn't a father figure to her, but she had heard Regina slip up more than once and refer to her father as 'Dad' on occasions, even when she hadn't been drinking. He would blush and smile goofily anytime that she did.

On Christmas day itself, Charlotte muttered her first word, which typically was, "Mama" and Emma declared that it was her she was referring to. Regina didn't have the heart to point out that Charlotte had in fact been pointing at her, instead choosing to allow the blonde to have her moment.

By the time New Year's Eve came, Emma was all partied out and asked Regina if they could spend the night to themselves and see the new year in with each other. Cora had jumped at the chance to have the girls, not complaining once. Lennie was also excited as she adored spending time with either set of her grandparents. She was a regular visitor at the Charmings' house too and she and Abby were already getting into mischief together with their Charming blood.

So, just before the fireworks were went off, Emma and Regina were cuddled together in bed, wrapped in each other's arms after passionate rounds of love making, basking in the afterglow.

"This has been one crazy year," Emma murmured as she pressed a soft kiss to Regina's brow. "Part of me is kinda glad that it's over."

Regina shuffled so that she could look her wife in the eye. "But so many wonderful things have happened? We've had about a hundred weddings and both Charlie and ER were born?"

"I know," Emma said hastily. "I just mean with all the drama with Gothel and then Snow, it's not been all sunshine and daisies."

Regina chuckled and she brushed a strand of loose hair away from Emma's face. "That's just life though, honey, it has its good moments and its bad. It's always going to be like that."

Emma smiled softly before stealing a kiss that was willing given. "I agree, I just want the next to go more smoothly. I want to watch Charlie grow up and enjoy Lennie while she still listens to us." She chuckled as Lennie was becoming more like a teenager despite only hitting nine. "I want to watch Soph, ER and Abby flourish."

"That's going to happen over a lot longer than just a year," Regina reminded her. "We have all the time in the world to watch that."

Just as she said that, the fireworks began and the clocktower chimed. It was midnight.

"Happy New Year, my love," Emma said instead of replying to Regina's prior comment.

"Happy New Year," Regina replied before pulling her wife in close and kissing her gently before Emma pulled her lower lip between her teeth and nibbling gently. Their tender moment was ended as they brought in the new year with another round of love making.

oOoOo

_Five years later_

"Elena, Charlotte, if you do not get your butts down these stairs in two minutes, I will set your hair on fire!" Emma screamed up the stairs.

"Ma, Jesus!" Cried a fourteen-year-old Lennie as she ran down the stairs, clinging onto her long blonde hair, with fright in her chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a cream top and a black skirt, still not one to wear dresses. "No need for such a threat!"

"We're going to be late," Emma replied instead of answering. "Your mother gave specific instructions that we needed to be there by eleven and we have ten minutes. Where's your sister?"

"Getting dressed," Lennie said.

Emma sighed exasperatedly. "We don't have time. Get your shoes on."

Lennie snapped her fingers and looked at her feet. "Done."

_Give me strength_, Emma thought as she headed up the stairs. She entered Charlotte's bedroom to see her sitting on the edge of the bed, her purple dress gathered around her hip, with one leg in her tights and the other half in the tights and half not as she'd managed to rip a hole in them.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Emma asked, chuckling despite herself.

Charlotte's deep raven hair was sticking up from where she had been rolling around in an attempt to get dressed. She was the spitting image of Regina, or would be, if it wasn't for her forest green eyes which mirrored both Emma and Henry's.

"I can't do it!" She sulked. "Help, Mama."

As Charlotte grew up and Lennie got used to having both of her mothers around, they had started copying Henry by calling Emma 'Ma' or 'Mama'. Abby had once called her 'Grandma' after hearing Sophia call her that. Charming had found it hilarious, Emma not so much and had glared at her sister before correcting her. Needless to say, Abby still called her it on occasion to wind her up.

With a wave of her hand, Emma had Charlotte's tights fixed and on properly along with sorting out her hair into the loose plait it had been in. She pulled her off the bed and neatened up her dress.

"There," she said with a smile.

"Ma! I thought you said we were going to be late!" Lennie cried.

"Coming!" Emma yelled back before helping her youngest down the stairs.

Once in the foyer, Emma clicked her fingers again so that both she and Charlotte had their shoes on.

"Right, hold on girls," she instructed as she held out her arm for both of her daughters to hold on. She flicked her wrist and transported them to their destination.

As Emma's cloud of white cleared, they were greeted by Rumple's old castle, but it had had a lot of work done since he had last lived there. Cora had been hard at work for two weeks blitzing every corner, roping Alice and Lennie in to help under the disguise magic lessons.

The three headed through the front door and Emma pulled her daughters to the side.

"Len, you go in with Charlie and I'll go find your mother," Emma instructed.

Lennie nodded and took hold of Charlotte's hand before leading her into the ballroom while Emma went upstairs.

"I can't do this!" She heard a shout.

Panicking, she ran into the room before her to see Cora pacing. She was alone in a deep crimson dress as she didn't believe in white.

When Cora and Rumple had announced that they were getting married, everyone's first word was 'finally' as opposed to 'congratulations'. In the past five years, everyone had kept hinting to Rumple to pop the question and surprisingly, it wasn't him who was putting it off. In fact, he had proposed three times already, but Cora kept saying not yet. She never said no, but she kept saying she wasn't ready.

The venue had been difficult to choose as they kept coming up with different suggestions. It had been Henry who had suggested on using Rumple's old castle as it was time to bring new memories to add to the old. He had also said to his mothers that it meant Belle could be part of their day too.

"Mom, what's going on?" Emma asked as she took hold of Cora's hand. "Where are Ginny and Zee?"

"They're checking on something or other," Cora replied, waving her hand nonchalantly.

Emma raised her eyebrow, seeing through Cora's pretences. "Why did you send them away?"

Cora sighed and stopped her pacing. "I couldn't deal with their constant questions and it started to frustrate me, so I told them to leave for now. I needed air."

"Mom, it's going to be fine," Emma assured her as she squeezed Cora's hand. "You and Rumple are meant to be together. You've overcome so much and you're better together. You know that."

"It's just scary," Cora whispered. "What if he realises that I'm not the one and he wants to find Belle again?"

Emma smiled softly. "Don't think that. If he wanted to find Belle, he wouldn't have kept asking you, almost begging to marry you. You two love each other. End of. Now, may I walk you down otherwise we'll be late?"

"Better than that, Em, will you walk me down the aisle?" Cora asked, biting her lip nervously. She hadn't asked yet.

Slightly aghast, Emma gasped. "Really?"

Cora nodded emphatically. "You're my daughter, Em. I want you to do this."

"I'd be honoured," Emma said before offering her mother her arm. "Let's get you married."

Cora linked onto Emma's arm and allowed herself to be led downstairs. She walked without resistance and when she saw Regina and Zelena making their way over to them, the former in deep purple and latter in emerald green, she simply beamed.

"Let's go."

Regina flashed her wife a confused look, but Emma just shook her head and nodded to the door.

The double doors opened and the rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. Within the next half an hour, Rumple and Cora became husband and wife, surrounded by their family and friends. Almost everyone cried at Rumple's vows where he shared his love for his wife and told everyone how much she brought him back to life after such a sadness. There was a new honesty in his eyes that no one had ever seen, even Cora teared up despite the bright smile on her face.

The afterparty took place at the castle too where more people from all over the realms joined, including a lot of the officials. When Aladdin and Jasmine arrived along with Elsa and her family, Emma started to get very confused.

"Gin, why are so many people here for Cora and Rumple's wedding party?" Emma asked after she pulled her wife to the side.

"I have no idea," Regina replied as she glanced around.

"Ah there you are," said Charming as she approached them. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

The two flashed each other a worried glance.

"Don't worry," Charming said. "It's nothing bad. I just need you to come with me."

The worry didn't disappear, but they followed the former prince as requested. However, the crowds parted to the let them go before gathering around the front of the room.

Charming coughed and brought the room to attention.

"Good evening, everyone!" He called. "We are gathered here today for the union of Cora and Rumple, yes, but most of you know another reason we are gathered." The crowd nodded before he continued. "Five years ago, the realms were united because of this woman here." He took hold of Emma's hand and raised it up. "Because of how amazing my daughter is."

Emma's face blushed bright red at the compliment. She tried to shy away but her father wouldn't stop.

"We've been discussing over the past few years that we need order between the realms and many of you agreed that it should be these women here," Charming said before also taking hold of Regina's hand.

The two shared another worried glace as everything started to dawn on them.

"Lennie, Henry, if you'll do the honours," Charming requested, nodding at his grandchildren.

Lennie and Henry picked up a box each before walking over to their mothers. Henry stood before Regina and Lennie in front of Emma. They opened the boxes and waiting for Charming to reach in and put the tiaras on their heads.

"I know that you don't think yourself as a princess, Em," Charming said softly, "but perhaps you'll find it better to be a Queen."

Emma's eyes widened almost comically. "Are you kidding?"

Charming nodded. "It was a unanimous decision. You two are the Queens of the United Realms."

He then took a step back and bowed before them before motioning to Henry and Lennie to follow suit. Regina naturally went to step forward to speak but Emma pulled her back.

"Let me speak first," she murmured and Regina, albeit a little confused a she knew her wife wasn't one for public speaking, motioned for Emma to take the floor.

Emma took a step forward and looked out at the crowd. She saw faces upon face which started to overwhelm her and she remembered why she hated public speaking, but then she concentrated on the faces and recognised them. She could see her family standing at the front with her friends just behind them. Lennie was standing with her sister to one side and Sophia to the other. Henry was just behind them with the now four-year-old ER in his arms.

Cora and Rumple were just to the side, wrapped up in their new marital love for one another with Zelena and Victoria to their side. Each woman was wearing a diamond on their finger, but they were in no rush to marry.

Tinkerbell was standing with her arms around Ruby's waist and Lily was standing with Nook, in front of Elsa and the others. She recognised so many faces which filled her with a warmth she was never expecting.

The only absence was Snow, but she didn't miss her. In fact, she had bumped, well more like crashed, into her only once since she had been banned. Chuck, her contact from Seattle had called in a favour and asked Emma to find someone who had jumped bail and he was struggling to find them. Emma had been in Seattle for two hours when she found the person he needed: Hook.

The small family had relocated there as they found the small group of people from the Enchanted Forest. Snow was working in Roni's, which was ironic, and Hook was back to his old ways with thieving. Neal had been put in the system as he had been taken away from Snow quite early on for rumoured neglect as she worked all hours in the bar to scrape ends meet. She had tried to become a teacher but her Storybrooke qualifications didn't match up to the outside world. Another trick Regina had worked into the curse. However, Neal kept escaping his foster family to be united with his mother and the system soon gave up trying to take him away and left him there.

Emma had found Hook hiding in the basement where she had been trapped and handed him over to Chuck without any guilt and he was in prison. Snow was getting Neal back on track between shifts. She still wasn't sorry for trying to kill her daughter and Emma didn't give her the time of day, choosing instead to get the money from Chuck and leaving again.

That was now three years ago and not what she should be concentrating on. There was a much more pressing speech she needed to make.

Nervously, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath to centre herself.

"I cannot believe that this has just happened," she began. "I thought we were just celebrating Cora and Rumple's wedding and it turned into a coronation. Then again, this is Storybrooke and the United Realms, nothing should surprise me. However, first things first," she lifted the tiara off her head and the room gasped. "I cannot accept the crown or the role as Queen."

"What?" Regina gasped.

The blonde turned to her wife and smiled warmly, taking her hand.

"I don't need to be the Queen of the United Realms, because that duty belongs to you, my wonderful wife," Emma continued as she squeezed Regina's hand. "She is the most amazing woman in the entire world and she's the most fantastic leader. I am quite content to keep my role as the Sheriff. I adore everyone here and I love my life. I have three absolutely amazing children, two wonderful grandchildren and a little sister who is my mini me." She flashed a smile at her twelve-year-old sister who really was the spitting image of Emma and Lennie, just with icy blue eyes. "I have a mother and a father in my life," she nodded to Cora and Charming before smiling at Kathryn and Rumple, "along with a not so evil stepmother and now a stepfather. My life is just how I want it to be, I don't need to be Queen."

She then turned to her wife and kissed her softly.

"Ever since the moment I met you, you have been my Queen," she said. "You're my True Love and you have given me so much in the last six years. It's my turn to give something to you. The Queendom. Ginny, I give you everything."

Regina was unashamedly crying as she pulled Emma in for another kiss. "You are everything and I love you so much." She then turned to the crowd. "I'm so honoured that you would anoint me as your Queen and my first order of duty is to knight my White Knight." She turned to Emma and grinned. "You're my Knight in shining armour."

Charming then raised his glass. "Can everyone join me in the first toast? To the Queen and her White Knight!"

"The Queen and White Knight!" Everyone repeated.

As everyone cheered, Lennie brought Charlotte over to their mothers and joined their hug.

"Does this make me an official princess now?" Lennie joked.

"You've always been a princess," Regina replied with a smile. "More than that, you're what my True Love gave to me."

Lennie pulled a face. "Mom, stop being soppy."

Emma chuckled as she picked Charlotte up and hooked her on her hip. "We're your mothers, we're always going to be soppy. Get used to it."

Lennie sighed dramatically, ever the teenager, before giggling and allowed her mothers to pull her in for another hug. Soon enough, Henry and his family joined along with Cora and Charming and the rest of the gang. It was the biggest family hug she'd ever had but it was the most wonderful.

With her Queen by her side and surrounded by her family and friends, Emma realised that this truly was happiness at its finest and she couldn't be any happier.

The End!

_A/N: I just want to thank everyone so much for being part of this story, I've loved every minute of writing it. I also want to that WriteupmyAlly for helping with the storyline and coming up with the idea. I couldn't have done it without you._

_On a slightly sadder note, I'm not sure when my next story will be up as I'm taking some time off writing, but I hope it won't be long. _

_Until then, lots of love, Emss xx_


End file.
